Unclaimed bicycles don’t go to waste at the Brownwood Police Department. Instead, they are cleaned up and donated to the Salvation Army to be given away.
Tuesday, Brownwood Chief of Police Mike Corley along with Assistant Chief James Fuller and Evidence Secretary Angie Hill made a donation of two bikes to the program. The police department cleans out their impound of unclaimed bicycles periodically throughout the year making donations as the bikes accumulate. These are just two of many that have been donated and rehabbed this year.
Salvation Army volunteer Paul Coghlan and friends Jim Byrd, Buddy Preston and Miguel Mantos clean and repair the bicycles before they are donated. The group calls themselves “Born Again Bicycles.” Coghlan stated that the bicycles donated usually come in a variety of styles and sizes suitable for all ages and that some are even used as transportation bicycles for people who don’t have cars so that they can get around town. The two bikes donated Tuesday were examples of possible transportation bicycles. The smaller ones Coghlan said are given to the needy children in the community.
Coghlan stated that most years, about 150 bicycles are donated to the Salvation Army. Two of the bicycles donated were really nice adult bicycles and are being raffled off. Salvation Army Executive Director Donna Harris said that volunteers who work 25 hours or more “ringing the bell” at the Salvation Army Kettles are entered into the drawing. The more hours a person rings, the more entries they are given into the raffle.
If anyone would like to donate a bicycle to the program, please contact Born Again Bicycles at 325-642-1669.
Pictured above from left to right are Assistant Chief James Fuller, Salvation Army Director Donna Harris, Evidence Secretary Angie Hill, Police Chief Mike Corley, and Paul Coghlan.
