The Kiwanis Club of Cochrane and Area is once again collecting bikes, as a part of their annual bike recycling program.

Each spring the local club collects used bikes from community donations, and they have them tuned up and brought to safety standards so they can be enjoyed by local kids in need.

Kiwanis Club President, Ron Gosselin says they will be doing things slightly different this year. He says that storage is an issue, so this year they're planning a series of month-long collections, taking fewer bikes at a time.

"Our first monthly program starts right now until probably mid to late April," says Gosselin. "We're going to take up to 25 bikes during that period of time for recycling."

Gosselin says that they aren't taking adult bike donations, or road bikes. He says they are focused on collecting youth and tyke bikes.

He's asking anyone who has some extra bikes kicking around that they'd like to donate, to email a photo first.

"I need to get a picture of the bike before we can do anything," he says. "So they can just write us with a picture if possible of the bike they want to recycle."

Individuals and organizations who are in need of a bike can also contact the Kiwanis Club directly, and they'll work on matching them with one or more recycled bikes based on their needs.

"If an organization or somebody has a need for a bike they can write us and we'll send them a form  that will basically describe the height, and what's needed for the bike to fit the individual who is asking."

In August of 2020, the local  Kiwanis Club distributed 16 bikes to tykes in Cochrane's Filipino Community. 

If you are in need of a bike or would like to donate one, you can contact the Kiwanis Club at Kiwanis.Cochrane@gmail.com