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About Us
Bikes and Trikes for Tykes is a 100% volunteer not-for-profit organization which; receives bicycle donations from the general public, cleans and repairs the bicycles, and gives them to kids around the Kansas City Area by working through other charitable organizations.
The organization was started in 1989 as part of a community service effort by Oldies 95, KCMO-FM. The donations and requests have both grown steadily since the beginning. In 1993, Bikes and Trikes for Tykes became chartered as a not-for-profit organization in the State of Missouri, and continue to operate with a 12 member board that governs its actions. Oldies 95 is still involved by donating air time and on-site promotions for our pickup sites.
HOW IT WORKS
Bicycles are received from individuals and groups throughout the year at our monthly work parties and in the months of November and December. Oldies 95 currently sponsors one drop off per year. The drop off schedule is aired on KCMO radio, on our web site, and on our message line. Yellow Freight provides a trailer and a driver to transport the bikes from the drop off site to our work site. We typically receive between 300 and 600 bikes from each drop off site. Bicycles are also dropped off directly at our work site, during work parties, by organizations and individuals that have collected them in their areas. Some organizations also make cash contribution for the purchase of new bikes, and then members of their organization assemble them during a work party. We have also started having work parties the second Saturday of the month from 9AM to 2PM, which allows for bicycles to be dropped off throughout the year. We also receive bikes from several local police departments.
In September, a form is administered to organizations that have requested bicycles in the past. The organization then indicates the number of bicycles they need by size and sex of the individuals that would receive them. The forms are then returned in October, other information includes the preferred pickup date. The current mailing list includes over 50 local charities and organizations. The Charity must pick up the bicycles that were requested from our work site. A majority of the pick ups occur in the first two weeks of December, but we ask them to consider earlier dates to reduce the stresses of our space limitations. Any charitable organization per IRS rule 501 c (3) is allowed to request bicycles.
