variety of things, he even describes it as
hoarding things. It’s also what has enabled
him to grow his charity into what it is today.
It started out simple, his son’s friend
needed a bike and in one of his trades
he acquired one, he fixed the bike up
and gave it to his son’s friend. And this is
what sparked Shawn’s non-profit, Spokes
of Hope. What started as a simple trade,
refurbish and donate turned into a wide
scale project that expanded through his
neighborhood. Shawn saw how happy
his son’s friend was with his new bike, as
well as posts on Facebook from parents
whose kids needed bikes and he also
knew how quickly kids grew out of them.
He remembers the freedom having a bike
brought him as a kid and wanted to share
that with others.
Shawn started a Spokes of Hope
Facebook page in which he could post
bikes he found and fixed up—or traded
for—and let parents post what their child
needed. Then he would post what bike
was needed for a particular child and
where to drop it off—Shawn’s driveway.
When we spoke, he had 72+ bikes that
had been dropped off, nothing short of
amazing. If the bikes need to be cleaned
up or fixed, he does just that. When
the bike is ready, the parents and child
receiving the bike come and pick it up.
With the amount of bikes available, Shawn
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