Latest news with #Shutiak
Calgary Herald
25-07-2025
- Automotive
- Calgary Herald
Free bike trade-up for kids being held this weekend in Calgary
Youth en Route is looking to give new life to bicycles in the community through their Bike Trade Up event on Saturday. Article content From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Calgarians can visit the Youth en Route location on 1212 34 Ave. SE, where they can exchange their kids' bikes completely for free. Article content Article content The Bike Trade Up program is a pilot project that was established in 2025, and paid for via a City of Calgary Circular Economy Grant, Article content Article content Families are invited to bring out smaller bicycles that have been grown out of and exchange them for a refurbished bike for their children. Parents are also invited to pick up toddler and balance bikes for free. Article content Article content The exchange will also feature bike decorating and a course where they can test out their new set of wheels. Article content Youth en Route executive director Laura Shutiak said the initiative aims to keep good bikes out of the landfill, while boosting the circular economy of bicycles with refurbishment reducing new purchases. Article content 'Calgary landfills are full of bikes, and it's such a shame because we know kids want them,' Shutiak said. 'We hope this will make it easier for people to donate bikes and for families to find quality used kids bikes.' Article content At their inaugural event on May 31, Youth en Route provided 65 bikes to families in the city and took in around 100. Article content
CTV News
24-07-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Calgary charity Youth En Route hosting bike swap this weekend
Two children are seen on bikes in a stock photo. (unsplash/Amber Faust) Calgary non-profit organization Youth En Route is hosting a bike swap this weekend for kids who have outgrown their bicycles. The organizations' second Kids Bike Trade Up event will be held at the YER Bike Hub at 1212 34 Ave. S.E. on Saturday, July 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; the first was held in May. 'Kids between three and 13 grow out of bikes pretty quick,' said Youth En Route executive director Laura Shutiak. 'Buying a bike for a kid every year is impossible – and there's really no need.' The program was inspired by a simple problem: good bikes often have far more life left in them once the children who ride them grow out of them. 'We find that lots of bikes in Calgary end up at the landfill, and we're trying to avoid that,' Shutiak said. 'We're also trying to provide Calgary parents with a place where they can find a used bike that their kid likes and fits.' She says quality children's bikes – especially steel-frame models – can last for decades with basic care. 'A toddler bike should be able to last 20 or 30 years. Replace the tubes, the tires, brake cables as needed – but the frame should last.' The organization isn't just accepting trade-ins; families without a bike to exchange can still sign up to receive one. 'We have a ton of baby bikes,' Shutiak said. 'We just want to give them away, because we want them to find homes.' Bike mechanic Mario Rocha helps repair the donated bikes, many of which come from landfills or backyards. 'We'll just do an assessment on the bike, make sure it's safe,' Rocha said. 'They might not be as pretty as a brand-new bike, but they are in really good condition… ready to go have fun, for sure.' 'They don't need to be expensive bikes – they just have to be bikes that kids like and want to ride.' Aaron Stagg, another volunteer mechanic, said the project also addresses a generational gap in Calgary's cycling culture. 'I come from a major community of competitive cyclists,' Stagg said. 'But there's not a lot of kids growing up into the community… I want to see kids not just riding to school – but not racing bikes, having fun, competing for the sport.' The Kids Bike Trade Up is funded by a Circular Economy Grant from the City of Calgary, and is being tested this year as a pilot. A third event is planned for October at the Genesis Centre in northeast Calgary. 'This is freedom for a kid,' said Shutiak. 'We know the need for bikes in Calgary is really dire. There are schools where 80 per cent of kids don't have one — and they want them.' More information can be found on Bike En Route's website.
