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GOV. EASLEY ANNOUNCES HUNDREDS OF
REFURBISHED BICYCLES HEADED TO LESS FORTUNATE CHILDREN |
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Prison Inmates Volunteer Time to
Brighten Holidays With Bicycles |
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Raleigh - Gov. Mike Easley announced
today that about 300 girls and boys will be doing some pedal pushing this
holiday season thanks to a bicycle refurbishing project at two state
prisons. Inmates at the N.C. Department of Correction facilities have
volunteered their time to tune up the bikes as a way to give back to their
communities. |
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“Many children will have a brighter holiday
because of this program,” said Easley. “It also plays an important role in
the rehabilitation of inmates, who are gaining skills and providing
hundreds of less fortunate children with a special gift this holiday
season.” |
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Inmates at Marion Correctional Institution
refurbished 225 bicycles while inmates at Gates Correctional Center have
repaired about 75 bikes. Some new bicycles with minor defects are donated
by retail stores, and used bicycles are donated by residents in local
communities. The inmates repair broken parts, sometimes using replacement
parts from bicycles that cannot be fixed, and spruce up all the bikes so
they look like new. McDowell Technical Community College Auto Body Shop
and The Bicycle Ministry in Gates County put on a fresh coat of paint.
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Inmates involved in the project volunteer time
at the prisons when they are not working their full-time jobs or assigned
to vocational or educational programs. Inmates at the Gates Correctional
Center have been refurbishing bicycles for about three years. Marion
inmates started refurbishing bicycles for the first time last spring.
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Through local community partnerships,
organizers ensure that the bicycles are given to children who most need
them. Gates Correctional Center partners with The Bicycle Ministry, which
donates finished bicycles to the Angel Tree Program, Toys for Tots, Gates
County Public Schools, Gates County Social Services and area churches.
Marion Correctional Institution partners with “Wheels of Love,” which is
headed up by Keep McDowell Beautiful, as well as with local government
agencies, civic organizations and businesses. |
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For more information or
to contribute to these bicycle recycling programs, contact Keep McDowell
Beautiful in McDowell County at (828) 652-9171 or The Bicycle Ministry in
Gates County at (252) 357-2295.
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