Brian Boyce
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
Tables full of parts lined the concrete floor Saturday morning, and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology looked a lot like Santa’s workshop.
The school’s facilities operations center hosted the Exchange Club of Terre Haute’s annual Bikes for Tykes program that morning, as nearly 500 bicycles and tricycles were readied for Wabash Valley Children.
Program co-chair and Rose-Hulman spokesman Dale Long said 350 students from the school’s Greek and residence hall communities were participating in this year’s assembly. About 500 bikes, ranging from tricycles to 26-inch mountain bikes, had been delivered to the facility in kit form, and the future engineers got to work Saturday morning putting them together.
“You talk about hands-on education, this is hands-on right here,” he said, pointing to hundreds of hands spinning wrenches around nuts and bolts.
The finished products will be delivered to needy children throughout the Wabash Valley, he said, explaining that the Salvation Army and Covenant Cooperative Ministries serve as screening agencies. Bicycle collections began Nov. 14 and the Exchange Club will accept monetary donations through Dec. 20, he said, noting the project costs about $25,000.
Thomas Foulkes, a freshman electrical engineering major and Terre Haute North Vigo High School graduate, was already working on his fifth bicycle at 10:30 a.m. Warmers full of hot dogs sat beside cups of hot chocolate as the small army of volunteers produced bike after bike atop tables throughout the building.
“It’s a fantastic service opportunity for Rose to give back to the community,” he said, describing it as “a different angle on service.”
Long said bicycles are purchased from Pacific Bicycle Co. in Illinois, which provides a discount for the cause. Delivery is provided by Terre Haute’s Morris Trucking at no charge.
Candice Sanderberg, a junior biomedical engineer from Plainfield, said her Saturday actually started at 5:30 a.m. helping with a Clothe-A-Child project. The Chi Omega sister stood in line with a finished bicycle, rolling it toward the back door.
“This is my second year doing Bikes for Tykes,” she said. “It’s great to give back around the holidays.”
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
