Bikes needed for refugees

Posted by on September 17, 2007

[emailed 9/13/07]

I am writing to ask you to help newly arrived refugees who need adult sized bicycles, helmets and locks so they have transportation to get to their jobs. As you know, the Nationalities Service Center helps folks from all over the world become self-sufficient in their new lives in Philadelphia. Some have been persecuted or tortured, often living in refugee camps for many years before being permitted to resettle here. We help refugees from African, Eastern Europe, Asia. We have begun to help ethnic Karen refugees who were persecuted in Burma and have lived in camps on the Thai border for many years. Like so many of our clients, they are a wonderful group of families. I listed the countries of origin of refugees we helped in 2007 below.

The staff works hard to get these folks jobs but more often than not, they have no way to get to work and the Septa is often too time consuming, complicated and expensive.

Let me know what you come up with including any ideas of who else to ask – We’re going to contact area bike shops (do you know any owners/managers?) and Philly Free Cycle. Also, this may be a good project for a teen or college group. Those of you with Bar or Bat Mitzvah age kids who like to ride may want to take this on as a project.

Let me know what you come up with and we’ll figure out how to pick up and store any donations.

As a bike commuter I took this on to combine my passions. I hope you can join me. Check you basements, tell you friends, make a contribution or use this as an excuse to get yourself a new bike and donate the old one.

Thanks. Hope you are all doing well.

Nan

Angola
China
Haiti
Liberia
Turkmenistan
Belarus
Colombia
Honduras
Pakistan
Uganda
Burma
Ethiopia
Indonesia
Russia
Ukraine
Cameroon
Georgia
Iran
Senegal
Vietnam
Central African Republic
Guinea
Ivory Coast
Sudan
Zimbabwe

Nan Feyler
Executive Director
Nationalities Service Center
1216 Arch Street, 4th Fl.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
direct line: 215 609-1521
fax: 215 735-9718
nfeyler@nationalitiesservice.org

Serving the needs of immigrants and refugees since 1921