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SOUTH BRUNSWICK: Annual Pedals for Progress collection successful

By Maria Riegel, Special Writer
   South Brunswick High School sponsored another successful campaign for the 16th annual Pedals for Progress bicycle drive.
   The annual collection of bicycles and other items was held noon to 3 p.m. June 2 at South Brunswick High School according to event director Devon Smith.
   ”It went well,” Ms. Smith said. “We had a total of 77 bikes that were donated to Tanazania and eight sewing machines. We also had a $2,830 monetary collection.”
   The New Jersey Education Association teachers union donated a $1,000 grant which definitely helped the monetary donations collected, according to Ms. Smith.
   According to Ms. Smith the purpose of the Pedals for Progress organization is “to take items that would end up in landfills here in the United States and send them to other nations for good use.”
   Ms. Smith said that the bicycle and sewing machine donations stimulate the economies in the nations that the products are donated to.
   She said that when the bikes are shipped to the other nations, they must be disassembled to allow delivery to be as compact as possible.
   Ms. Smith said that this form of packing benefits many of the locals in the nations because they are trained to assemble the bikes allowing employment.
   She said Pedals for Progress is a non -profit organization, therefore, the money made off of the bike sales is used to pay the vendors.
   She also said that the bikes increase transportation among the locals allowing them to travel to a job or begin a new business and that the bikes permit young children to get to school, which continues the education system.
   Ms. Smith said that the sewing machines would also allow locals to begin sewing businesses.
   According to Ms. Smith the South Brunswick Education Association sponsored a cleat exchange in the beginning of the school year and there were approximately 70 spare pairs of cleats.
   She said that several individuals donated cleats and soccer equipment as well. Ms. Smith said soccer equipment was helpful to donate to Pedals for Progress because soccer is a prominent sport in many nations that Pedals for Progress donate to.
   Although the collection went well this year, Ms. Smith noticed a decrease in the amount of bicycle donations from previous years.
   ”The collection was one of our lower numbers for bikes,” Ms. Smith said.
   Ms. Smith said that the organization has noticed that bike donations have decreased as the year’s progress.
   According to Ms. Smith, Larry Witlen, a retired SBHS math teacher ran and organized the Pedals for Progress collection until he retired last year and passed the job to her.
   ”I heard about (the collection) a few years ago when Mr. Witlend was looking for building representatives and I volunteered to be a building representative,” Ms. Smith said
   Ms. Smith said that when Mr. Witlen decided to retire, he approached her to be the Pedals for Progress facilitator and she accepted.
   Ms. Smith said that she would like to thank all of the volunteers that helped her with the bike collection; Kathy Fekete (SBEA Member), Steven Schiff (SBEA Member), Mariola Lawnick (SBEA Member), Carol Kling (SBEA Member), Marissa Modi (SBHS Student), Mason Smith (Teacher Spouse) and Lisa Witlen (Teacher Spouse).
   She also said that she would like to thank the SBHS custodians because they were a huge help and the members of the SBHS girls track team for handing out flyers around their community.
   Ms. Smith said that she would be continuing the Pedals for Progress bike collection next year in June. She will begin collecting bikes in September. The bikes can be delivered to the high school beginning in September.