Our Rotary Club is shipping used bicycles to a receiving Rotary Club in Durban, South Africa, for distribution to rural communities. The rural communities do not have public transportation or meaningful infrastructure. Bicycle are life changing in these communities, in that bicycles allow people to obtain medical treatment, go to school and transact business. Bicycles help break the extreme poverty cycle. Sending the used bicycles to these communities also keeps them out of the garbage dumps in our communities.
On January 28th, we are collecting add’l bicycles from the community (tell your friends, post on Facebook, etc.), preparing the bicycles for transportation (preforming minor repairs, removing wheels and pedals and zip tying them to the bicycle, and packing the shipping container.
For those of you who have not done the project before, we are going to be working with bikes. Lots of bikes. Up to 500 bikes.
Once we get the bikes on-site out of the storage unit, we will remove the pedals and front tires, take off any accessories, and then load the bikes into a shipping container bound for Durban, South Africa.
At this point, we could use some “Crew Chiefs.” If anybody would like to volunteer, please let me know.
Head of Operations
This person has done the project before and knows how to turn a wrench and construct an assembly line. He or she can spot hard-working talent and assign jobs to other volunteers. This person gets a special gold star because it is a tough job.
Head of Transportation
This capable person has a driver’s license and is willing to rent a uHaul truck the night before that we will use to pick up the bikes from the storage unit. He or she should have a relatively clean driving record and enjoy driving oversized vehicles on busy, narrow streets.
Head of Food & Beverage
This volunteer gets tremendous joy from making sure others are fat and hungry. Well, at least ensure they are hydrated and have some snacks to keep them working at optimal levels. This person also needs to be able to find a Publix to get a few cases of bottled water and have the phone number of a pizza joining to call and order pizzas around lunchtime.
Head of Labelling
This person must be able to count as high as 500 and label tires and bike frames with masking tape. (We number the tires and the frame so the folks in Africa don’t go insane trying to match up what tire goes with what bike).
