VIENNA, VA (BRAIN)—Bikes for the World is losing its long-time storage site in Northern Virginia to redevelopment and is soliciting leads for a new location in the region.
The non-profit, which collects used bikes for donation in developing countries, needs an outdoor parking lot to re-locate five 40-foot truck trailers used for storage of bicycles, according to a press release.
Bikes for the World has a simple mission: collect thousands of used bicycles, and donate them to non-profit community programs in Africa and Central America to enable the poor to hold jobs, attend school, and obtain health services.
Its current site, near Tysons Corner, has served for six years and seen the organization become the largest program of this type in the United States. Since the program's inception, Bikes for the World has collected 50,000 bikes valued at over $2 million. In 2010 alone, the network—which includes more than 100 faith communities, schools, scout troops, civic clubs, and businesses—donated 9,000 bikes locally and abroad.
Now, with the sale and pending re-development of the current site, Bikes for the World must relocate to a new donated or low-cost space to continue its efforts and lay the foundation for future expansion.
"We're very grateful to have received the Tysons facility rent-free over the last six years," said Keith Oberg, director of Bikes for the World. "It's helped define our business model and operate in the black for six straight years. But the reality is that we must find another low-cost space in Northern Virginia as soon as possible."
While Bikes for the World doesn't expect free space to be available indefinitely, it is seeking at least one year—preferably longer—before the need to move again. For leads on empty lot space for placing trailers in Northern Virginia, or inexpensive warehouse space, contact Keith Oberg at 703-525-0931 or info@bikesfortheworld.org.
