When you don’t have a car, something as simple as getting to work becomes a massive headache. But in Indian River County, Bike Walk is working to change that—one pedal at a time.
"Our organization began in 2015, when a group of volunteers working along side the Indian River County metropolitan organization, they working to create a bicycle friendly community for Indian River, as part of the League of American Bicyclists," she said.
That’s Megan Bradford, Program Administrator for Bike Walk. She told me about some of the programs the group offers to help those in need.
"The thing that we are most known for is our bicycle rehab, which is whee we provide free bicycles to individuals who are considered transportation disadvantaged," she said.
Over the years, the program has grown into something much more.
"10 years later, we've grown to this place where were no longer out of a bike shop, we have our own warehouse and were distributing over 500 bicycles to transplantation disadvantaged individuals a year," she said.
Today, the group is celebrating a $10,000 grant from the Indian River Community Foundation.
"[There's] excitement all across the board. It's significant because, we are a volunteer coalition, and to have the recognition of IRCF means that the community is recognizing the hard work our volunteers are doing, and its recognized through support," she said.
And the timing couldn’t be better. The funding will help Bike Walk expand to meet growing demand.
"The warehouse next to our primary warehouse was available for lease, and with additional bikes, as you can imagine, collecting more bikes, repairing more bikes, means we need a place to store them. Through this funding, we are able to support the rent for the warehouse expansion, as well as operating costs, to continue allow our operation to grow," she said.
Bike Walk is making a real difference in the community, helping people take back something we all rely on—time.
"I had one applicant who lived out west close to the 95, and they told me to get to downtown, it would take them and a hour and half, if they were to count. They were able to shorten that transportation to 30 minutes. Giving a person two hours back of their day is really great," she said.
Much like the people they help, Bike Walk continues to move forward, overcoming obstacles along the way.
"Our advocacy group continues to advocate for inclusion of infrastructure that supports bicycles and pedestrians in the county. Any time there's changes going on in the community, our advocacy team is there," she said.
To learn more, visit their website at bikewalkirc.org.