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Many underserved youth in Livermore will get a new bike this holiday season thanks to the efforts of the Livermore Bikes and Brews initiative, which raises funds for bikes for kids in need and gathers volunteers to assemble and distribute them.
The fundraising phase of the event — which was held in October — includes a nine mile guided bike tour with three brewery stops, an auction and raffle and live music, according to Livermore Valley Craft Beer Foundation (LVCBF), which helps organize the effort along with TAG Real Estate Team and Kids Bike Lane.
The event raised $20,000, which was enough to provide 57 bikes to Livermore students in need, according to LVCBF marketing director Elana Arsondi.
The second and most recent phase of the initiative was the Big Bike Build. Hundreds of volunteers came together on Dec. 4 to assemble bicycles at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton.
“Some kids struggle with means of transportation to get to school or their after school jobs. We have come together for one primary goal, which is to help kids get bikes,” Arsondi said.
The volunteers worked from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The team was tasked with unloading boxes of bike parts, assembling the bikes, adding decals for decoration and putting cushy seats on the bikes. The materials were labeled and organized by the volunteers in groups, according to organizers.
The initiative also provides helmets and locks with each bike. Organizers said they work directly with the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District to identify the students in need of these resources.
Arsondi said the bikes will be distributed to the youth this month before the schools break for the holidays.
Bikes, helmets and locks were also donated to a number of charitable organizations around the Bay Area including, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Livermore, Good Tidings Foundation, Catholic Charities of the East Bay, Agape Villages Foster Family Agency and the Hayward Police Department.
“Bikes help us get the kids the independence that they need and they can be outside and live a healthy life,” Arsondi said.
More information about LVCBF is available here.
