Volunteering and donating with Bearings Bike Works
Teri Danielson | Published on 10/6/2021
Sorellas are often asking about ways to have a positive impact on the Atlanta cycling community. Joining charity rides and assisting at local races are two examples. Here is another one!
Bearings Bike Shop is a non-profit youth development organization in southwest Atlanta where kids can earn a bike of their own while developing the skills necessary to successfully transition into adulthood and the workforce. Their mission is to put the right tools in the hands of youth, enabling them to advance their skills to build productive lives. The vision is to see those that they serve take ownership of their lives with character and purpose and experience the freedom of economic mobility. They operate three unique skills development programs that help students ages 6-18 develop hard skills, soft skills, and character strengths that can make a difference in future career success. The retail bike shop not only serves the community through bike repair services and the sale of refurbished bicycles but also serves as a youth workforce development training space for teens and young adults from Bearings' other programs.
Kathryn Taylor and I connected with Bearings to discuss a fundraising idea in 2020. The Atlanta cycling community and the Sorella Cycling club are great resources to collect gently used cycling gear so we proposed creating a collection site at Bearings to then stock a Gear Up Sale – a cycling specific garage sale. The October 2020 and April 2021 sales generated thousands of dollars for the shop to use in their community support. Collection and storage of donations on site is open year round – including donations from local organizations and cycling related operations. As a Sorella, I reached out to our sponsor, Hincapie Sportswear, Inc who has sent boxes of new overstock soft goods for each sale! AND – my Sorella sisters have made donations and volunteered to prep for the sales and provide guidance to buyers during the sales.
The sale this fall will take place on October 29/30. If you are interested in donating gently used cycling gear or volunteering some time, please contact Teri Danielson at terildanielson@gmail.com or 970-988-1202. Time slots will be available on Friday Oct 29 2:00 – 7:00 and Saturday Oct 30 8:00 – 3:00.