Rotary Clubs Join To Collect Bicycles for Pedals for Progress

On Saturday, May 12, the Rotary Club of West Orange and the Rotary Club of Chester/Long Valley held it's first ever joint bicycle collection at the Long Valley Middle School in Long Valley, NJ.

Members from both clubs volunteered to collect used bicycles and break them down to be shipped to Guatemala for the Pedals for Progress charity, a 501c3 that ships used bicycles and sewing machines to third world countries.

32 used bicycles were collected as well as $330 that will be used to help defray the cost of shipping.  Pedals for Progress founder, Dave Schweidenback, helped the clubs break down the bikes, which makes it cheaper and more efficient to ship them in containers. 

Donating used bicycles to people in third world countries makes sense in more ways than one:

First, people need bicycles to get to school, work or create a business and therefore, a living for their families.  These countries do not have the luxury of automobiles for the majority of their populations.

Secondly, we are keeping these bicycles out of our landfills and putting them to good use for an extended period of time. 

Thirdly, by donating bicycles to these countries, they can build their economies around a simple and inexpensive mode of transportation, not use costly fossil fuels. This reduces the overall  pollution problem as well as the strain on the limited fossil fuel supply.

For more information on Pedals for Progress, go to:

 www.p4p.org