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Madison Kiwanis club donates refurbished bikes
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By ZACH ANDERSON, Daily Leader
| 07/13/2009 |
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Chuck Robbins (middle) stands with fellow Kiwanis member Mayor Gene Hexom (left) and Chief of Police Chuck Pulford (right) by a discarded bike that Robbins is repairing. The Police Department works with Robbins and the Kiwanis Club to find, fix and donate the bikes.
The Madison chapter of Kiwanis International has been serving Lake County youth since 1922. A project which Kiwanis has been involved in for nearly 20 years is the fixing of old discarded bikes. The club donates a minimum of about 15 bicycles a year to those in need.
A member of the Kiwanis club for 42 years, Chuck Robbins got the bike program started. About 20 years ago, he saw that the Police Department had old bikes that were abandoned or had been stolen and no one was claiming them. Robbins approached the city commission to let him fix the bikes so that he could donate them to someone who would ride them.
The bikes had to be there for at least six months before Robbins could fix them. Now that time period has been changed to three months.
Robbins started the program himself and did it for about three years before he asked the Kiwanis Club to assist with fixing the discarded bikes so they could be donated.
"I appreciate the city honoring their commitment," Robbins said.
So far this year, Robbins and the Kiwanis Club have fixed eight bikes and donated them. The club donates the bikes to whomever asks for them. With help from the Kiwanis, the bikes are loaded into a trailer and taken to the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls. Sometimes people call if they have youth bikes they don't want anymore, and Robbins will fix them.
Robbins' passion for fixing bikes comes from his own biking background. He has biked personally for 25 years and enjoys riding. He takes most of the parts for fixing the bikes from the discarded bicycles. If one bike has a bent frame, he will take a frame from one of the bikes that isn't bent and use it.
Sometimes Robbins buys a part, but usually he uses the parts that he has.
"It sometimes takes a couple hours, or 10 minutes, depending on how many wheels I have to replace or pedals I have to put on," Robbins said. "It depends on the seriousness of the repair. Some are unrepairable."
Currently, there are approximately 40 bikes in storage waiting to be repaired.
Robbins never asks for money for fixing the bikes. He said that all kinds of social organizations call him and tell him they need a bike.
"Sometimes people will try to pay me for the bikes, but whatever I get I give to Kiwanis," Robbins said. "I don't care if I get credit for it."
All of the discarded bikes are stored in the City Armory by the Police Department with police reports on them. If no one comes in to claim the bikes before the three-month period ends, then Robbins can go in and work on the bikes.
Robbins noted his favorite part of fixing bikes for people.
"Sometimes seeing especially the smaller kids, maybe the ones that have never had a bike. It's seeing the look on their faces," Robbins said. "We distribute a lot of bikes during Christmas time."
He said that lately the club has been placing bikes with adults who don't have cars. The bikes will give them another way to get to work. In the past, children most often received the refurbished bikes.
Anyone needing a bike can call the Madison Police Department at 256-7531.
Robbins does more than just fix bikes. He likes to hunt, fish, hike, work for the church and he just started driving the DAV van two years ago.
Robbins is a former president and board member for Kiwanis. He retired in 1998 from his job as a State Farm Insurance agent after 34 years. Randy Schaefer took over the State Farm agency from Robbins.
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time. The Kiwanis membership expands to about 8,000 clubs in 96 countries, more than 260,000 adult members and approximately 320,000 youth.
The mission is to serve the children of the world. Each year, clubs sponsor nearly 450,000 service projects and raise more than $107 million. Members and clubs have contributed more than $80 million toward the global elimination of iodine deficiency disorders (IDO), the leading preventable cause of mental retardation.
The name "Kiwanis" means "we trade" or "we share our talents." It was coined from an American Indian expression, Nunc Kee-wanis. Kiwanians are volunteers changing the world through service to children and communities.
Kiwanis was first organized in Detroit on Jan. 21, 1915.
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©Madison Daily Leader 2009
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