Sunday marked 25 years for the annual Central New York Family Bike Giveaway.
“When I was young, I used to ride my bicycle to school,” the corporate officer of the CNY Family Bicycle Giveaway Jan Maloff said. “I passed what I thought was an orphanage. A lot of those children came to my grade school.”
What You Need To Know
- The Central New York Bicycle Giveaway Foundation in Syracuse held its 25th annual bike giveaway Sunday at G.W. Fowler High School
- The organization is 100% volunteers
- Throughout the year, bikes are donated and volunteers repair them to give away to families
Maloff says he and a group of kids would let them ride their bikes after school. That is when he got the idea that one day he would provide bikes for people who could not afford them. His wish is now a reality, thanks to the Central New York Bicycle Giveaway Foundation.
“We usually give away around 2500 bicycles every Christmas season,” Maloff said.
The volunteer-based organization repairs donated bikes to get them in safe working order for people in need. The organization also purchases bikes at garage sales during warmer months.
“Also during the year, we get calls from police officers who want to replace stolen bicycles,” Maloff said. “We get calls from social workers, teachers who want to give bicycles as an incentive and we’re happy to do it. We have a great number of volunteers. We are in a great community of giving here in Syracuse.”
And that giving made many children happy Saturday.
“This is just a great community event and there are just so many kids in need,” volunteer Patrick Shaffer said. “Jan has done this for 25 years and he has really done a great job. You see every kid going out of here with a smile on their face. Well, we can’t see their smile because of the mask, but we know they’re smiling.”
