Utica Bike Rescue Mission and Purpose
The mission of Utica Bike Rescue is to promote bicycling as an affordable, effective, sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. Utica Bike Rescue provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community in a variety of ways, focusing on children, students and lower-income households.
We take our mission very seriously and strive to make sure we reach people in a meaningful, productive way. We ensure this by establishing partnerships with local organizations that can help us identify and pre-qualify individuals for our programs. The bikes that have been donated by the public and refurbished by our staff and volunteers are redistributed in the community through the outreach programs described below.
A survey was conducted in 2012-2013 to evaluate the need for a training program to teach mechanical skills and bicycle repair to disadvantaged populations in the Greater Utica-Rome area. Respondents were asked a series of questions relating to the populations they serve and their ability to travel within the community. 100% of respondents indicated that their consumers have identified transportation-related issues and that a bicycle would be an effective means to address those challenges.