A Calgary service club has reached a remarkable milestone, donating its 10,000th bicycle to a child in need. The Kiwanis Club of Calgary celebrated the achievement with a small ceremony on Thursday, May 21, 2026, presenting a shiny green bike to five-year-old Ace Sinclair-Larose.
Every Child Deserves a Bike
For Ace, the excitement had been building for a week. When he saw the blue-and-white balloons tied to the handlebars, his face lit up. His grandmother, Barbara Sinclair, whom he calls Coco, laughed and said, "I'm not surprised. Once we get back home, I'm gonna be outside the whole day."
Darlene Kerr, the club's secretary and bike program coordinator, expressed the organization's philosophy: "To be able to provide a bike to a child and give them the freedom and independence that they need, and just the joy of riding. That's why we say, every child deserves a bike."
A Program Born from a Simple Question
The bike donation program began in 1997 when club member Larry Gray asked staff at Interfaith Youth Services what the club could do to help. The answer was clear: kids needed bikes. Starting with donations from friends and garage sale finds, the program has grown into a coordinated effort involving Calgary police, corporate sponsors, and the Calgary Correctional Centre.
Kerr explained that many bikes come from police-recovered stolen bicycles. The best ones are auctioned, while others are sent to the Correctional Centre, where inmates repair them. The club then partners with social agencies to identify families in need, ensuring each bike goes to a child who will cherish it.
"A lot of these bikes would end up at the landfill, and they're being rescued from that and regenerated," Kerr said. "We've actually had some bikes that have our Kiwanis sticker on them that have come back to us. They've been donated, or sometimes they've been stolen again and then come back. It's a whole circle, and it's amazing that we can do this."
More Than Transportation
For the children who receive them, these bikes represent freedom, joy, and a sense of normalcy. As Ace pedaled away, a volunteer joked that if he let go, the boy would ride straight into a sign. His grandmother smiled, adding, "His dad has to buy a bike."
The Kiwanis Club of Calgary continues to accept donations and support from the community to keep the program rolling, ensuring that every child who needs a bike gets one.
