Inmates Fix Bikes for Kids and Vets
I’m Ed Smith, a Folsom Bicycle Accident Lawyer. Bicycle owners enjoy not only recreation and relaxation with their rides, but also cheap and reliable transportation. For some of the Folsom and Sacramento community’s most vulnerable residents like underprivileged children, a new bike is just too much to hope for. Thanks to the work of inmates at the Folsom Prison’s bicycle repair shop, this Christmas will be a little more magical with donations of refurbished bicycles going out to youths and veterans in need.
Bicycle Restoration Program
Folsom’s bicycle restoration program was organized in the 1980s by the Cameron Park Rotary Club and the Folsom Moose Lodge in the hopes of providing underprivileged children with the gift of a bicycle during the holiday season. Local businesses like Rufus Cycles in Diamond Springs have also joined in the charitable effort, donating scavenged bikes and parts for the program. Since last year, over 650 child and adult bicycles have been delivered to people in need. The program now functions year-round, delivering bikes to school children and veterans.
Upcycling
Many of the bikes in the program are sourced from El Dorado County’s and Folsom’s recycling program. In 2016, 415 unwanted bicycles left curbside for the garbage truck found their way to Folsom Prison’s shop. Inmates inspect the bikes and salvage useable components for rebuilds, presenting fully functional refurbished rides to excited children and grateful adults.
Helping Veterans
The Veteran’s Affairs clinic at Mather Hospital is also placing bicycles with homeless veterans and those living in transitional housing. Many veterans struggle with disabilities or other injuries such as amputations and post traumatic stress disorder, along with other conditions requiring regular visits to the doctor. While many take light-rail to the hospital, the train’s route leaves them to cover the last miles to their destination on foot. Since partnering with the Bicycle Restoration Program, veterans in need now receive refurbished bicycles every fourth Tuesday of the month.
A Labor of Love
The refurbished bicycles are the handiwork of inmate Mauricio Argueta, a man sentenced for six years after a DUI crash that injured several people. Argueta spends 60 hours a week in the shop working on bicycles, and hopes to use the skills he has developed during his incarceration to open a shop of his own after his release. He plans to continue his charitable work repairing bicycles for underprivileged youth.
Related Articles by Folsom Bicycle Accident Lawyer, Ed Smith:
- Pedestrian Death in Folsom Boulevard Accident
- Hit and Run Driver Apprehended in Folsom
- $10,000 Reward for Suspect in Bicyclist’s Death
Folsom Bicycle Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Folsom Bicycle Accident Lawyer. Have you or someone you love been injured in a bicycle accident caused by the negligence of another party? Please reach out to me right away at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free and friendly advice with no obligation. You can also find me online at AutoAccident.com.
Since 1982 I have served the Folsom and Sacramento community as an advocate handling many kinds of personal injury and wrongful death cases. Read reviews left by some of my valued clients on: Yelp, Avvo, and Google.
As a member of the Million Dollar Forum, my work as an injury lawyer with million-dollar awards has been nationally recognized.
Follow the link to see summaries of some of my past Settlements and Verdicts.
