Rotarian Terry Cooper fixes up a bike that will soon be donated to a person in need (Tiffany Goodwein/CHATNewsToday)

By Tiffany Goodwein

Rotary club fixes and donates bikes for people in need

May 30, 2021 | 10:05 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB- Out in the backyard is Terry Cooper and Peter Mueller. The yard has been turned into a makeshift outdoor bike repair shop with bikes flipped upside down. Their tools are scattered on a small table as they twist and poke parts. Tires, brakes, chains, and other fixtures are replaced, and with a little elbow grease, the bike is given new life. It is all in a day’s work for Peter and Terry. They are members of the Medicine Hat Rotary Club, an organization striving to make bicycles more accessible for people in the city.

The initiative got its gears in motion last December after MHPS Insp. Brent Secondiak suggested doing something with the nearly 250 bikes stored at the police compound. So instead of letting them rust all winter Mueller, an avid bike enthusiast and other Rotary club members got to work.

“So far we have handed out around 79 bikes in Medicine Hat. Of course, we couldn’t do much in the wintertime, so now that the weather is better, lots of people are asking for bikes,” Mueller said.

The bikes are distributed to various organizations in the city such as the Salvation Army, Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, and the Redcliff Youth Centre.

“They have clients that are in need of bikes that can’t necessarily afford them right now, and that’s our mission is to make sure that everybody has a healthy, safe bike to ride,” Mueller said.

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For Cooper, distributing the bikes to people in need brings a whole new level of fulfillment. Recently he delivered bikes to a family with four children at the Miywasin Friendship Centre.

“ They were just excited some of them never had a bike before. We got them four bikes, including one with training wheels, and they are just learning how to ride a bike. And the smiles on their faces, they couldn’t wait to get them home,” he said.

At first, kids’ bikes were in most demand, but that has quickly expanded into bikes for all ages.

Mueller said a bike can mean a lot to someone who doesn’t have the means to afford their own vehicle or take transit, as it provides them mobility to get around.

Anyone interested in donating a bike is asked to contact Peter Mueller at 403-502-9609