Cycle of Giving needs bikes, donations

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This article was published 08/11/2019 (2387 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Repair Education and Cycling Hub (WRENCH) needs help creating free bikes for kids.
The 9th annual Cycle of Giving is taking place from Dec. 7 to 8 at the Orioles Community Centre (448 Burnell St.). The event brings together volunteer mechanics to build 350 bikes for children in poverty, to be given away for free.

Patrick Krawec, the managing director of WRENCH, said for a lot of children in poverty, getting a bike for Christmas is impossible.

“We’re the child poverty capital of Canada. For most of these kids, they couldn’t afford a bike,” Krawec said. “And by offering a bike made of recycled materials, it offsets the greenhouse gasses of them buying a new one. Every kid deserves the joy of riding a bicycle.”

Cycle of Giving is a 24-hour bike building marathon, where they use reclaimed materials from the City of Winnipeg, among other places, to build as many bikes as they can. In 2018, Cycle of Giving was able to produce 481 bikes for children living in poverty.

Krawec said that every bike also receives a greeting card, handmade by volunteers at the event. For 2019, thanks to a donation from the Novak MacDonald Foundation, every bike will go out with a helmet and a bell.
Krawec said the event helps people think of other ways they can help their community.

“When you bring people together to do meaningful work with their hands, it really connects their heart. And in turn, frees their minds to think about how to solve the problems we face now,” Krawec said. “Christmas can be a difficult time for people because of isolation. Instead of isolating people, we’re bringing everyone together for a common goal.”

The Cycle of Giving event was started in 2011. The event has created around 3,000 bikes for children in need since its inception. Over the course of eight years, the event has diverted over 50 metric tonnes of material.

“To put it in terms a five year old would understand, we’ve reused over 8 Tyrannosaurus Rex’s worth of waste,” Krawec said.

WRENCH is looking for donations to help out with the event. Residents can donate any kids bikes (20-inch wheels and under), at any 4R Winnipeg Depot. They’re also looking for financial donations to keep their programming going. For more information, email cog@thewrench.ca or call 204-890-0686.