August 25, 2015

Five Years Post-Theft, Re-Bicycling Initiative Flourishing

When then nine-year-old Hayden Downes-Mills's BMX bike was stolen in 2010, he wrote a letter to the local paper at the suggestion of his mother's friend. "To the person who stole my bike," it read.
My parents bought my bike for my birthday in March, and I really liked it. I’m very upset that my bike was taken, and I would like to ask the person who took it to return it.
Hayden's original ride didn't show up on his doorstep, but eight other ones did, along with gift cards and a $200 check. The outpouring of community support—and sudden excess of bikes—prompted Hayden to devise a way to give back. Soon he and his family were accepting donated bikes, refurbishing them as necessary, and giving them to kids in need of wheels.

Five years later, Hayden's Re-Bicycling is going strong, gearing up to move into bigger digs and poised to recycle its 1000th bike. Read more and/or watch Hayden's interview on CTV News:

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