Elyria Bicycle Center gives away bikes to families ahead of holidays

ELYRIA – Walking through the door of the Elyria Bicycle Center, 5-year-old Temperance Johnson and her mother bee-lined for a cluster of pink bicycles at the center of the Middle Avenue storefront. The Elyria nonprofit was about halfway through its bicycle giveaway on Saturday when it was time for Jeannette Stipe's daughter, Temperance, and son, Emery Fluker, 10, to pick their new bicycles. Volunteers adjusted the seats to the kids' heights and fitted the pair with helmets before sending them out the door, grinning ear to ear. The Elyria Bicycle Center receives donations of unwanted, unused or unclaimed bicycles throughout the year, Board member and Treasurer Jerry Capasso explained. Normally, the group sells them at a low cost, but at the holidays, they open their doors to Elyria residents, allowing about 40 families in need to select up to two bicycles for children 12 and under from the 60 set aside for the annual giveaway. The bikes given away Saturday were serviced by Elyria Bicycle Center volunteers, ensuring they were cleaned up and ready to ride "Times are rough for people," Capasso said. "With the reduction in benefits from the government, cost increases for everything, availability of product in the stores, this is a great solution at a low cost – in this case free bikes for kids at a time of year where the parents may not be able to get them a bike." He considered it a win-win for the Bike Center and Elyria families served on Saturday – it cleared out a backlog of bicycles from the nonprofit's warehouse, and got bikes into kids hands over the holidays. The Elyria Bicycle Center provides low cost bicycles and services to area residents. It is volunteer run, with many of its workers avid cyclists themselves spending a few hours a week to service bicycles to keep kids and adults moving. Capasso noted many who come into the center, adults and children alike, rely on their bikes to get to school or work each day. "It's a good cause," Capasso said. "I work two days and I look forward to the days (I work)." The Elyria Bicycle Center is open 12-5 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. It will be closed Dec. 21 to Jan. 2 for the holidays. Those interested in volunteering, donating or for information on their services and classes, may contact the group at EBEC2017@elyriabikecenter.org. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.