A Cycle of Kindness: Our Strategic Alliance with Chinook Kiwanis

What happens to the bikes that are donated at our events? They become the foundation for a life-changing mission. Through our strategic alliance with Chinook Kiwanis, we are ensuring that no bike goes to waste and no child goes without a ride.

Chinook Kiwanis Club is part of a global organization dedicated to improving the world, one child and one community at a time. In Calgary, their Bike Program is a masterclass in community service. They take the bike donations we collect and, with a team of dedicated volunteers, rebuild them to like-new condition.

Our alliance with Chinook Kiwanis is one of the most heartwarming chapters in the Alberta Bike Swap story. It’s where the technical meets the tactical, ensuring that bike donations we receive find its way to a child or a family who needs it most. By supplying them with donated bikes from our swaps, we fuel a cycle of mentorship, mechanical skill, and social service.

Once these bikes are professionally vetted and restored, they are distributed to various social service agencies across the city.

• Directly to Social Services: Most of these bikes are destined for children who otherwise might not have access to their own set of wheels.
• The Chain of Care: Chinook Kiwanis has a Chain of Care for the most vulnerable members of our community.
• Skill Sharing: This alliance supports the mechanical arts, keeping the craft of bike repair alive while serving a higher purpose.

With our large bike swaps being just Chris and me at the kitchen table doing all the operations for our events so we focus on efficiency. Instead of these bikes sitting in a garage, we funnel them directly to Chinook Kiwanis. This fuels the Circular Economy and aligns perfectly by ensuring every bike reaches its maximum potential lifecycle.

When you donate a bike at an Alberta Bike Swap event, you aren’t just cleaning out your garage—you might be providing a child with their first taste of freedom. Support Chinook Kiwanis and help us keep this beautiful cycle moving.