By Michelle Brooks
The gift of a bicycle is the gift of freedom and exercise.
Repaired bicycles were given to 17 children last Christmas through the Angel Tree program, coordinated by the Central Missouri Community Action (CMCA).
Above the California Eagles Club Aerie 4027, more than two dozen donated bicycles — from tiny ones with training wheels to adult road bikes — are lined up soon to be restored.
Melvin Butler, a local Eagles trustee, started what he hopes will become a tradition last year.
“The Eagles did provide 17 bikes to families last year, which was a huge help,” CMCA Community Services Specialist Stefani Thompson said. “Many families request bikes from the Angel Tree, however, due to the expense, they don’t always receive them.
“Last year, every kid who had asked for a bike, received one. And, the families were so thankful. Partnering with the Eagles Club has been a blessing.”
Devoting more than 40 hours, Butler looks over each bicycle, cleaning it up and identifying what needs to be corrected. A handful of other Eagles volunteers will help air up tires, oil the chains, adjust the seats and handlebars and make other minor fixes.
Butler had a small operating budget of about $200, which came from a 10-team pitch card tournament this fall. That causes him to make choices, such as buying one new bicycle for $60, instead of replacing tires at $30 each, on two old bicycles.
The World of Wheels shop in Barnett has helped Butler learn hints about how to fix up the bicycles, he said.
Before last year, the only experience he had with repairing bicycles was his own from childhood, alongside his father in Boonville, he said.
“I struggled with a few things, last year,” Butler admitted. This year, it’s easier for him to identify issues and know how to correct them, he said.
That has allowed him to raise the number of bicycles he hopes to provide to the Angel Tree to 23 this year.
“Bicycles are how I grew up; it’s how I saw my friends and went to ball games,” Butler said. “It’s good exercise and gets kids off the couch.”
Butler said he was inspired by the painted rock craze last year, which got children out of the house and walking across the community.
Next year, Butler hopes to have even more bicycles and would welcome community financial support to cover parts.
“When people get rid of their bicycle, they know it will be used,” he said.
Call 573-796-4027 for more information.