calgary service club gives away 10,000th bike to child in need
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l-r: chris grant from alberta bike swap; ace sinclair-larose, 5, 10,000th bike recipient; and bike program coordinator for kiwanis club of calgary darlene kerr, as the kiwanis club celebrated its 10,000th bike donation with a small ceremony in calgary on thursday, may 21, 2026.
darren makowichuk/postmedia
when five-year-old ace sinclair-larose found out he was getting a new bike, he talked about it for a week.
on thursday, when he was presented with the gleaming, green new ride, the boy exclaimed at the blue-and-white balloons tied to the bike’s handles.
“i’m not surprised,” his grandmother, barbara sinclair, whom he refers to as coco, said with a chuckle.
“once we get back home, i’m gonna be outside the whole day.”
it was a touching sight, not only for ace’s grandmother but the group of volunteers, sponsors and other members of the kiwanis club of calgary, which for decades has been sourcing and donating bikes to children in need across the city. the bike presented thursday marked the 10,000th given out by the organization.
“i, as a child, loved my bike,” said darlene kerr, the club’s secretary and bike program co-ordinator.
“to be able to provide a bike to a child and give them the freedom and independence that they need, and just the joy of riding,” she added. “that’s why we say, every child deserves a bike.”
darlene kerr, bike program coordinator for kiwanis club of calgary, centre, with the many volunteers as the kiwanis club celebrated its 10,000th bike donation with a small ceremony in calgary on thursday, may 21, 2026.
darren makowichuk/postmedia
the club has been sourcing, repairing and donating bikes since 1997, when a then-member of the club, larry gray, asked staff at interfaith youth services what the club could do for them. “well, our kids could really use bikes,” kerr recalled them telling gray.
and that birthed the club’s bike donation program, starting with donations from friends and purchases at garage sales, and slowly growing into a co-ordinated effort with calgary police, corporate sponsorships and the calgary correctional centre.
“it’s more than transportation,” kerr said.
the kiwanis club celebrated its 10,000th bike donation with a small ceremony with cake and refreshments in calgary on thursday, may 21, 2026.
darren makowichuk/postmedia
the bikes, she said, are usually sourced through the calgary police, who find and recover stolen bikes. the best ones get auctioned off through the police service and others are taken to the correctional centre where they are repaired by inmates.
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the club also partners with multiple social agencies, which refer families with children in need of bikes, after validations and background checks.
“a lot of these bikes would end up at the landfill, and they’re being rescued from that and regenerated,” kerr said.
“we’ve actually had some bikes that have our kiwanis sticker on them that have come back to us,” she added. “they’ve been donated, or sometimes they’ve been stolen again and then come back. it’s a whole circle, and it’s amazing that we can do this.”
the kiwanis club celebrated its 10,000th bike donation with a small ceremony with cake and refreshments in calgary on thursday, may 21, 2026.
darren makowichuk/postmedia
once ace got on his bike, he immediately started pedalling. a volunteer holding the back wheel said jokingly that if he let go, ace would pedal right into the event sign on the ground.
“he’s gonna want to be outside all the time now,” sinclair said. “his dad has to buy a bike.”
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