Bikes for young Sherbrookers

The "Récupère-don ton vélo" project is reiterating its commitment to young people in Sherbrooke by handing out over 100 bicycles to young people from pre-school to high school. With the arrival of May, Bike Month, the bike delivery is timely for the start of the season.

As President of Sherbrooke Ville en santé, Mayor Bernard Sévigny has participated in the event by highlighting the work of the volunteer cohort involved in the project to benefit young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. He recalled that Jean-denis Beauchemin, the volunteer leader who will bow out after 12 years of involvement, was awarded the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Medal on April 9 for his exceptional social commitment. Volunteers repair bicycles to make sure they work well and are safe. It is important to emphasize that each child will also receive a new bike helmet. Sévigny invited the young people and their parents to take advantage of the beautiful days to come to familiarize themselves with the cycling network and to frequent their neighborhood parks.

Stéphane Gauthier, deputy director of operations for the Sherbrooke Police Service (SPS), said that the SPS has a strong presence in schools and reinforces good behavior on bicycles. The main messages from the Sherbrooke bike awareness campaign of the City of Sherbrooke will be presented to the young people who receive a bike and their parents.. Gauthier thanked the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), which is contributing to the project for a third consecutive year, allowing the addition of bells on all bicycles, in order to facilitate better sharing of the road among various users

Since the project began, many donors have contributed to the success of this project, but it’s important to highlight the financial contribution made by the Caisses Desjardins de Sherbrooke, a loyal partner in the project for 15 years.

To support this project, Récupère-don ton vélo is calling on the population to help resupply its inventory of bikes. It is actually increasingly difficult to find bikes for the project's bike bank. This year, the collection will be held on Saturday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at La Montée school, Saint-françois pavilion or the next day in case of rain.