- Third annual bike giveaway donates over 60 bikes between Thomasville and Cairo, thanks to community volunteers.
- Thomasville Police Department helped guide riders through a safety course.
- Watch the video to learn the simple 3-step method that helps kids ride a bike with confidence.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Around 40 kids are going home with brand new bikes Thursday.
I'm at the Boys & Girls Club, sharing more about this initiative—and also on a mission to finally learn how to ride a bike myself.
Spring is in full swing—and so is the giving season for Hubs and Hops, a local spot that specializes in all things bikes right here in Thomasville.
Owner Roger Hawkes tells me this is the third year they've partnered with the Boys & Girls Club to give bikes to kids who need them.
"We have received quite a few donated bikes and then the couple behind me, Doug and Kathy Kirk, came to us and Doug has a extensive background in frame building of bikes and doing mechanic work and said that he would love to help not only find and bring together the donated bikes but do all of the work on them," said Hawks
Dozens of cars, hours of work later—and the Hubs and Hops team was able to roll out 40 bikes right here in Thomasville, plus another 20 on Wednesay over in Cairo.
But it's not just about giving kids bikes—they're also teaching them how to ride.
"We are going to have several other volunteer adults here and we all we put a adult with each rider and we'll get our exercise in jogging up and down the parking lot today and stay with them. So we're gonna try to keep falling to a minimum and we have a technique that we use that kind of helps with that," said Hawks.
And while the kids were hopping on their new bikes, I decided to put Roger's technique to the test myself.
I've actually never learned how to ride, but I felt encouraged.
"I think everybody needs to know how to ride a bike even ABC 27 reporters," said Brian Fleming, CEO of Marguerite Neel Williams Boys & Girls Clubs.
So I gave Roger's three-step method a shot
"The first step is making them comfortable with where they are on the bike then second is balance and that's where we'll spend a good bit of time not trying to get them to pedal the bike but to balance the bike then once any individual is is more comfortable with the balance the pedaling becomes a second nature," said Hawks.
And that's a wrap
If you want to donate a bike to kids in our neighborhood, you can drop it off at Hubs and Hops in Downtown Thomasville.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
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