The YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth is partnering with the Bike Gangs of Fort Worth to provide free bicycle repairs to children and families.
The bike repairs, called "rehabs," will take place on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. in the parking lot of the Northpark YMCA located at 9100 North Beach Street in Fort Worth.
The 100-bike rehab event is seeking volunteers to set up in socially-distanced stations and help to repair bikes to get back in an effort to encourage children and families to ride bikes and get outside.
The Bike Gangs of Fort Worth was established in November 2016 as The Park Glen Bike Gang, and it is a nonprofit organization founded by Daniel Guido, a father in the Park Glen community.
The organization provides bike rides, repairs, trade-ups, bikes, and helmets, all of which are free of charge.
A total of eight neighborhood bike gangs now exist all around the city of Fort Worth, Bike Gangs of Fort Worth said.
"We get kids and their parents out of their houses and away from their screens for free and family-friendly bike rides, typically twice per month," Daniel Guido said. "Typically an hour or so long, rides start with a safety briefing, and then a slow-roll through neighborhoods, stopping to play at a park, then pedaling back to 'home base' for a snack and water and sometimes cookouts or popsicles. We're honored to be the recipients of a Mayoral award in the Health and Wellness category of the 2019 City of Fort Worth Neighborhood Awards, and for partnering with the City's code compliance and recycling stations to establish the Community Bike Builder program to intercept and rehab an additional 800-900 bikes per year for Fort Worth residents."
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The Northpark YMCA reopened this summer with new health and safety protocols and guidelines to keep members and guests safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guests can visit the YMCA for membership, group exercise, day camps, swim lessons, and personal training while maintaining social distancing guidelines, the YMCA said.
"The opportunity to partner with The Bike Gangs of Fort Worth is a natural because our missions are closely aligned," Erika Jobe, Executive Director of the Northpark YMCA, said. "Getting people to move naturally, strengthening families, encouraging the love of outdoors are priorities we are both working to encourage and support. Situated in close proximity to the neighborhood bike gangs, the Y has resources to offer, mostly an organized outdoor space and people (volunteers), so it's a win/win for our community. To be able to do something so meaningful to encourage healthy living for our community during this time of social distancing is such a blessing!"
To volunteer for Saturday's event, contact Erika Jobe at 817-993-1333 or ejobe@ymcafw.org.
