Used bikes will go to victims

During the next two weekends, UW students will have the opportunity to get rid of their used bikes and help Katrina victims.

The Katrina Bikes Partnership will be collecting bikes for students of all ages affected by Hurricane Katrina. The collection will be at Magnuson Park for two weekends, Oct. 29-30 and Oct. 5-6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"This is a citizen-to-citizen project," said Project Coordinator Beryl Fernandes.

Fernandes considers herself an avid cyclist, so collecting bikes for Hurricane Katrina evacuees made sense, she said.

Fernandes and other volunteers will be collecting new and used bikes to give to UW students who have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina. A voucher system has been put in place in order to properly distribute bikes to UW students displaced by the hurricane, said George Zeno, a spokesman for the Office of Development & Alumni Relations.

Mechanics from the ASUW Bike Shop will be at Magnuson Park to service bikes and make minor repairs on the donated bikes, said bike shop employee Adrian Tayne.

Tayne said he plans to make sure the bikes are "ready to go and safe."

"I'll be down there from when they're open to when they're closed," he said.

Elementary school students from Seattle public schools have written short notes for elementary students in Louisiana who will be receiving bikes. The childrens' notes frequently express their sorrow, and tell recipients they hope they enjoy their new bike, Fernandes said.

Yellow Transportation will provide two trailers to truck the bikes to Louisiana where they will be distributed through area recreation centers, according to a Katrina Bikes Partnership press release.

Other bike supplies such as helmets and pumps in working condition will also be accepted as donations.