by Mary Rupert
A bike for the holidays? It’s easy this year through the Revolve Community Bike Shop at 554 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan.
According to Elizabeth Bejan, Revolve executive director, there are recycled bikes for sale at the shop, and there also is an opportunity to earn a bike.
In the “earn a bike” program, people may take an online bike safety test. It costs $10 to go through the program, and when individuals pass the written and on-bike test, they may receive a bike.
“We’ve had 600 people go through the program in both of our locations,” she said. There is another Revolve KC location in Kansas City, Mo. “We really want to make sure we’re putting the focus on KCK locations this coming year.”
Bejan, a native of Kansas City, Kan., who grew up on Strawberry Hill, started the nonprofit bike shop about two years ago because there wasn’t one operating full-time in the area.
“I believe in breaking down the barriers that prevent people from getting bicycles,” she said.
Recently, the Revolve KC program was recognized by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority’s Rosa Parks Good Neighbor Spirit Award for its efforts to help refurbish donated bikes and get them into the hands of residents.
Also, the program received the Gould Charitable Foundation grant for a Latino Outreach Program that allows funding for bike gear such as helmets, as well as supports the salary of a full-time bike mechanic. The shop now has a Spanish-speaking bike mechanic, which will help in communications with the public.
Many of the bikes at the Revolve Community Bike Shop are refurbished name-brand products, with donors walking used bikes into the shop, she said. Sometimes agencies donate abandoned bikes to the program. Revolve also goes to the Overland Park Recycling Extravaganza twice a year, where they often will get about 100 used bikes. Then Revolve bike mechanics work on them and get them in shape for re-use, she said.
If there isn’t time to go through a program, individuals can purchase a bike at the shop, she said. Some kids’ bikes are as low as $10.
To earn a bike, youth ages 14 and older can take a bike safety course, complete the online portion, and then meet with Revolve staff to complete the on-bike safety portion. Youth who are younger than 14 may get a bike when their parents or older siblings earn their bikes through the safety course. Youth older than 10 may join their family at the road test with parental permission.
Another way to receive a bike from Revolve is to volunteer for 10 hours at the Revolve office locations or at bike collection events.
The Kansas City, Kan., office on Central Avenue is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
For more information about the Revolve Community Bike Shop, visit www.revolvekc.org. For more information about holiday schedules or Revolve programs, call the shop at 816-835-3310.