Bikes' Bring Smiles by Kaydee Tuff

Although the age of the Bikes For Tykes workers has dropped since last season, organizer Skip Riffle says experienced hands are still needed to assist. Riffle established the bicycle restoration program 16 years ago to provide bicycles for needy youngsters in Collier County.

This year, Riffle and his senior 'elves' are taking part in the Helping Hands project, a community service program for juvenile offenders. "The kids fix up bikes for other kids in need and they have a good time doing it," Riffle says. "They're parents have a good time, too. Some of the kids continue to show up even after their six months are up."

Helping Hands is a community service program through the Juvenile Justice system. The idea is to take troubled teens and their parents and get them into a program where they can learn as well as pay off their debt to society. It takes a special person to take on such kids and Riffle is well-suited to the task. He keeps a weekly journal on the program and the progress of each participant. The information updates the teens' counselors as well provides a written account for assessing progress.
Since participating in the program, Riffle says Bikes For Tykes has had a good success rate with its Helping Hands participants. "Only two have gone on to bigger and better crimes," he says. "Two have been successful and another four have better relationships with their parents (than when they started the program). That's a 60 percent success rate. I'll take that."

While serving at Bikes For Tykes, located next to Cheers on the East Trail, teens are required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Riffle sets up a work area for each participant and assigns projects as their skills merit. Many come into the program with some mechanical skills, others learn as they go along. At the conclusion of the six-month commitment, each teen gets to reconstruct a bicycle for himself. So far all participants have been boys.
Riffle's senior elves, Bob Bond and Mike Shaw, continue to put in countless hours each year, rejuvenating bikes for 150-175 needy youngsters each Christmas. They also work with the Helping Hands participants, handing down their skills to the teens.

Not all of Riffle's young elves have been in trouble with the law. Eddy Maxius, a student at Lely High School, asked his school counselor to help him find a community service project. He ended up at Bikes For Tykes and Riffle says he is delighted with the extra pair of willing hands. "He's great," he says of Maxius, who came to the U.S. from Haiti two years ago. "He relates well with the other kids and he's here because he wants to be - they think that's neat." It has not been an easy year for Riffle. The shop has been broken into several times and some of the more expensive bikes and valuable tools were stolen. In response, he had to put bars on the shop windows.

Regardless, Riffles' program continues to expand its involvement in the community, assisting with bike rodeos and bike programs. By attending bicycle trade shows, he has acquired some good contacts for sample supplies and tools. He also assisted the Golden Gate Kiwanis Club in repairing several adult tricycles used by handicapped persons.

Overall, he is pleased with the growth of what began as a single response to a young boy's Christmas wish. In 1987, he and a friend plucked a paper angel from a McDonald's Christmas tree. They couldn't afford to fulfill the child's wish for a new bike, but they could renovate a used one to look as good as new. Since that first request, Riffle and his elves have ensured a brighter Christmas for over 3,000 Collier County needy youngsters.

For more information or to assist with the Bikes For Tykes program, contact us!