The annual Bikes For Kids program returned for fall 2022 to continue support for the Holiday Program with North Fulton Community Charities (NFCC). Each year Bike Alpharetta, along with more than 180 volunteers and community partners, collect, repair and provide hundreds of previously-loved bikes/trikes to NFCC’s Toyland for families in need.
In 2007, the Mullenbach family started the program with 65 bicycles collected in their Johns Creek garage. After a huge response with 510 new and used bikes in 2022, the program has now provided 4,713 bicycles, tricycles and scooters, as well as 1,868 new youth helmets, all free of charge to NFCC!
Thank you to all our volunteers, donors and community partners. Bikes For Kids has closed the doors on 2022, but if you have a bicycle to donate in December or early spring 2023, please drop off at the NFCC Thrift store, 11270 Elkins Road Roswell, GA 30076, during their usual business hours – nfcchelp.org
During their May 2 meeting, the Alpharetta City Council came together with our friends at Bike Alpharetta to declare May as Bike Month in Alpharetta and to celebrate what we have accomplished together.
2022 National Bike Month – City of Alpharetta Proclamation
WHEREAS, the bicycle is an economical, healthy, convenient, and environmentally sound form of transportation and an excellent tool for recreation and enjoyment of Alpharetta’s scenic beauty; and
WHEREAS, throughout the month of May, the residents of Alpharetta and its visitors will experience the joys of bicycling through educational programs, races, commuting events, charity events, or by simply getting out and going for a ride; and
WHEREAS, Alpharetta’s road and trail system attracts bicyclists each year, providing economic health, transportation, tourism, and scenic benefits; and
WHEREAS, creating a bicycling-friendly community has been shown to improve citizens’ health, well-being, and quality of life; promote growth of local economies; attract tourism dollars; improve traffic safety; and reduce pollution, congestion, and wear and tear on our streets and roads; and
WHEREAS, Bike Alpharetta, the League of American Bicyclists, other civic groups, and numerous local governments across the United States will be promoting bicycling during the month of May 2022; and
WHEREAS these groups are also promoting bicycle tourism year-round to attract more visitors to enjoy our local restaurants, hotels, retail establishments, and cultural and scenic attractions; and
WHEREAS, these groups are also promoting greater public awareness of bicycle operation and safety education in an effort to reduce collisions, injuries, and fatalities and improve health and safety for everyone on the road;
NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Mayor and City Council of the City of Alpharetta, Georgia, in recognition of the benefits of bicycling and of National Bike Month, do hereby proclaim May as Bike Month in Alpharetta and urge all residents to try cycling for fun, fitness, or transportation and to learn and practice the rules and strategies for safely sharing the road with bicyclists.
The 15th year of this holiday campaign provided 324 bikes/trikes to North Fulton Community Charities Toyland to help families in need in our community!
THANK YOU to all the volunteers, community partners and bike shops who pitched in for Domestique Day and months of bike collections to make the 2021 Bikes For Kids on of the best ever! We have photo galleries on our Facebook page and you can jump over to our Bikes For Kids Alpharetta page to get more information. The program has concluded and resume in the summer of 2022 – stay tuned for details.
Bike Alpharetta was proud to be part of the ribbon cutting ceremony in June as the new 2.2-mile northern section of Alpharetta’s Big Creek Greenway was opened to the public! The new segment of concrete multi-use pathway runs from the Marconi Drive trailhead to Union Hill Park and McGinnis Ferry Road.
Visit our Maps & More section to see the map of the Greenway extension in Fulton County, completed by the City of Alpharetta in June 2021, or click here to view PDF of trail.
Forsyth County has plans to make the final connection to its section of the greenway in the future, which will make it a full 14 miles in one direction. For now, anyone wanting to ride from Union Hill Park, the northernmost section in Fulton County, to Halcyon, it is suggested that people turn LEFT from Union Hill Road to McGinnis Ferry Road using the grassy shoulder (caution on busy road), and you will find a concrete path, then turn right and follow the multi-use path (on north side) or bike lane for one mile to Halcyon.
The highly visible new Bike Alpharetta Kits have been created by Athlos Sport! Check out the Athlos Squad One, Breakaway, and Gruve MTB jerseys, as well as shorts and bib shorts for women and men, too – prices range from $39-75.
Bike Alpharetta Leads 14th Annual Bikes For Kids Program
On December 5, 2020, 131 volunteers from the community and local bike shops helped clean and repair more than 275 bicycles and tricycles – all in one day!
The 14th annual Bikes For Kids, managed by the non-profit Bike Alpharetta, refurbishes previously-loved bikes/trikes/scooters for the North Fulton Community Charities’ Holiday Shop. Since 2007, the program has provided 3,400 bicycles, tricycles and scooters, as well as more than 900 new youth helmets.
Bike Alpharetta is proud to manage this program, which began as a grassroots initiative by the Mullenbach family in Johns Creek.
Community organizations hold Donation Days for Bikes For Kids, with Johns Creek Baptist Church collecting 99 bicycles this year. Many local bike shops in the North Fulton area also donate needed bike parts and encourage people to take part in Domestique Day – Atlanta Cycling (Duluth), Cannon Cyclery, Fresh Bike Service, Pedego Electric Bikes, Reality Bikes, REI (Alpharetta), Roswell Bicycles, and Twisted Spokes Bicycles.
Huge thanks to the City of Alpharetta for signage designating our adopted stretch of road between Henderson Pkwy and Highway 9 on Cumming Street. A well used cycling route, we’ve been picking up debris and litter since August of 2019. Proudly displayed!
It’s Year 14 for Bikes For Kids Alpharetta – collecting, cleaning/repairing, donating “Santa Ready” bikes/trikes to the Holiday Program for North Fulton Community Charities!!!! Wow, Year 14!
Sept. 18 to Nov. 30 donations of gently-used children’s bicycles are needed for this year! We appreciate donations… “some dust, no rust” is preferred. If you have an adult-sized bicycle, please consider giving that to our friends at Free Bikes 4 Kidz in Atlanta on Sat. October 3-4 (fb4katl.org/donate/donate-a-bike/).
Please give your tricycles and smaller-sized bicycles to Bikes For Kids Alpharetta, with multiple drop-off locations this fall. Check our Facebook page for details – https://www.facebook.com/bikesforkidsalpharetta
We celebrate another year of advocacy in Alpharetta, Georgia on July 25 as Bike Alpharetta turns 9!
Even with limitations due to the coronavirus pandemic, Bike Alpharetta continues to advocate for safer bicycle infrastructure in our community and to support local cyclists of all ages and abilities. Our work is even more important now as there are more families cycling together and new cyclists taking up the sport!
Here’s a quick recap of some of our accomplishments this past year:
– Bikes for Kids: Nearly 300 used bikes rescued for needy Fulton kids – Adopt-A-Mile: De-littering the next to roads for cyclists and pedestrians – Zen Rides: Casual Greenway rides for everyone – Beginner’s Ride: Helping newcomers learn how to ride safely – Infrastructure: Advising and advocating with the City of Alpharetta – Endorsing Bike Trail study for North Point Mall connectivity – Westside Parkway striping for bike lanes – Bike lanes/shoulder advice for Rucker Road – Start of Kimball Br construction (to include bike lane!) – Bethany/Mayfield bike lane configuration – Alpha Loop bike repair stations – Greenway expansion (underway!)
Cycling advocacy is super hard work, and we really thank all of our past volunteers and board members for their insight and time. Thank you also to the City of Alpharetta for continuing to make Alpharetta an Awesome place to ride bikes!
Bike Alpharetta 