Nothing like two-wheeling: Hinsdale attorney Bob Schaller likes bikes. What he likes even better is rounding up bikes for kids who don’t have the bucks to buy them.
With memories of his own first two-wheeler still lingering pleasantly, he says, “No child should be deprived of the joy and excitement of riding and owning a bike.”
Earlier this year, Schaller organized BIKES for KIDS!, which seeks donations of gently used vehicles for distribution to clients of Hinsdale Community Service, an agency that provides food, clothing and temporary housing to residents of Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Darien, Hinsdale, Oak Brook, Westmont, Willowbrook and adjoining unincorporated areas.
Hartley’s Cycle Shoppe in Hinsdale offered free fixups; Hinsdale’s Rotary Club, banks, businesses, churches and other local groups aided the effort; and on Friday, more than 50 kids got a new grip on happiness.
“Next year,” Schaller promises, “the number will be even bigger.”