Several bicycle enthusiasts have teamed up to raise money to provide 30 local children with bicycles.
Eric Webber, who holds a New Year’s Day bike ride to raise money for charity; and Jim Cole, who owns 4 Season Cycle in Franklin, partnered with Corrina Woods at Youth Alternatives.
Woods identified 25 local children who need a bike, and those children will get their bikes Saturday, Webber said.
Webber, who recently moved from Erie to Cranberry Township in Butler County, said he has been doing the annual Frigid Frolic Bike Ride on New Year’s Day at Presque Isle State Park in Erie for a number of years.
This year, Presque Isle didn’t want groups at the park, Webber said, so he wasn’t going to hold the event.
But Cole, who is friends with Webber, suggested he hold the ride on the trails in Venango County. Cole had participated in Webber’s New Year’s Day event and helped promote it for several years.
“It took on a charitable component a few years ago, which is great,” Cole said of the cycling event.
“We’re getting bikes out to kids. This past year it has been hard to get bikes out, money aside, which is sad,” Cole said.
He explained that over the past year, there was such a demand for anything related to outdoor activity that it was hard to find bikes or any other equipment related to outdoor activities such as kayaks or camping gear, Cole said.
“If you learned to ride a bike this year and you can’t get a bike that is a sad story,” Cole said.
The bikes, which don’t have training wheels, are for beginning bike riders who are about five or six years old, according to Cole.
“They are sharp, nice looking little bikes,” Cole said.
The idea behind the Frigid Frolic was to encourage people to start their new year by being active and maybe trying something new, Webber said.
Webber’s goal this year was to raise $1,500 to purchase 10 bikes for children through Can’d Aid, a charity that promotes doing good in communities and encouraging children to live a healthy, active lifestyle.
While fundraising for the bike ride, Webber said a former boss of his who also enjoyed riding bikes donated $1,500 and told Webber to match his donation.
“At one point I thought we wouldn’t make it, then at the 11th hour donations came in,” Webber said.
The ride raised $3,300 this year, and 30 bikes were purchased through Can’d Aid instead of 20, Webber said.
The bikes came partially assembled so Webber, Cole and a small group of volunteers at Cole’s shop finished assembling them, Webber said.
“It’s good to be able to help. It has been a great experience, having a group of people who want to do good and seeing others come and contribute, watching it grow. That is what you hope for,” Cole said.
Webber said he is hoping to do more bike rides in Venango County in the future.
