Brandon Cox was walking his children to school recently in their Southwest Greensburg neighborhood when they spied three bicycles discarded on a curb.
“My daughter asked if we could take them and fix them up and give them away to kids,” Cox said.
Soon he and Grace, 10, and son Nate, 7, had a collection of bicycles in different states of repair and clean-up in their garage.
He added to that number when he saw a social media post with 19 bicycles available. When he explained to the seller what he planned to do with them, the man donated the bikes, Cox said.
After they had repaired and power-washed the bikes, Cox made several posts on the Across Westmoreland Facebook page.
“My children have been working on collecting old children’s bikes in varying sizes. Together we have cleaned them and made sure they are in proper operating condition. Our hope is to provide children in need of a bike with a shopping experience to pick out a bike for free. My kids really want to help light up some faces of children in need,” he wrote.
“When I was young I was always into bikes and playing outside. I gravitated towards that with my kids,” Cox said.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, they started riding more. His son now races and competes in BMX and Freestyle; he has outgrown several bikes.
Cox credits his wife, Ali, for sparking his children’s altruism. She is founder of Inclusive Connections, a nonprofit working to connect members of the autistic community with each other and the community surrounding them.
“The kids said they wanted to do like their mom does,” he said.
“We said that we wanted to fix them up and give them away to kids who don’t have bikes,” Grace said.
Most of the bikes that have been donated are in decent shape, Cox said. “I have a set-up in my garage with tools and compressors. Most just need air in the tires, grip or chain [work], cleaning.”.
As a kid, Cox was the one other kids came to when their bikes needed a minor repair.
“And YouTube is pretty helpful,” he added.
By mid-October, they had collected about 40 bikes and given away more than a dozen. Grace and Nate help with putting air in the tires and washing the bikes.
“They are heavily involved in test riding,” he added with a smile.
They also have been on hand when children or their parents have arrived to pick out their bikes.
“It’s been eye-opening. They hear, ‘Thank you, this is really helpful,’” he said.
Cheryl Cohen’s granddaughter, Kenzie, 7, recently received a pink Huffy from the Cox family after Cohen saw the post on Facebook.
“She got a bike from the Easter Bunny this year and outgrew it already. She’s going to be tall,” Cohen said.
“We talked with her about trading hers in. She was all excited about it. She’s pretty good with being a giver,” the Greensburg woman said.
“There is no use keeping an old bike, and it was in good shape. She said it was OK for us to pick one out for her, and now someone else can benefit,” Cohen said.
“She rode it for a long time, the first day. We always like to donate when we can, and I like to get her involved,” she added.
Cox says he asks no questions about a bike recipient’s need. He’s even given some of the bigger bikes to adults who’ve expressed a wish to ride with their kids.
“The majority say they are looking for their kids, that things have been tight. Those are the people we wanted to help out,” he said.
Sometimes the bike is a surprise.
“One little boy, he was 4, and his mom thought he would like a Spiderman bike. He walked right past it to a Lightning McQueen bike from the movie ‘Cars,’” Cox said.
Grace really enjoys watching as children arrive to take their new-to-them bikes home.
“I love it. I just think it’s really cool. Seeing the kids’ faces when they get their bikes, like ‘What is this?’” she said.
To contact Brandon Cox about donating or receiving a bicycle, email gbgfreebikes@gmail.com.
Mary Pickels is a freelance writer: marypickels@gmail.com and on Twitter @mary_pickels.
First Published: November 13, 2022, 11:00 a.m.
