LINCOLN PARK, Mich. – A Lincoln Park non-profit that refurbishes bikes for kids in need suffered a setback when their truck containing the bikes was stolen.
John Waterman, founder of Programs to Educate All Cyclists, says volunteers loaded 12 bikes onto the truck last Monday (March 21) night, and by Tuesday morning, it was gone.
“We thought no way would somebody steal our truck with our bikes with what we’re doing,” said Waterman.
PEAC gives people of all abilities an opportunity to learn mechanical skills in fixing up bikes.
Read: Nonprofit’s truck and bikes stolen in Lincoln Park
Volunteers had put in several weeks of work getting the stolen bikes ready to go to middle school kids in Detroit.
“It makes me pretty upset,” said Sean Kohsman.
Despite the setback, he and his peers are committed to continuing on with their mission.
“We’re going to keep working, pushing ourselves to do what we do and keep working on bikes for kids,” said Amanda Salinas.
The stolen truck was recovered, but the person who stole it damaged the engine during the theft. It’s at the shop for repairs, but it’s not clear how much it will cost to make the repairs.
Waterman knows that the money to get the truck back running will take away from the funds they use to do their work.
As for the bikes, Waterman says they were able to pull bikes from another part of their fleet to make sure the kids that were supposed to receive a bike still get one.
He has one message to the person who stole from them: “I’d like to offer him the chance to make up for it, come and work, help us out.”
If you’d like to help or learn more about PEAC’s mission, you can do so here.