Windsor middle school students ready to hit the road thanks to bike donations

About 40 refurbished bikes will find new life in the hands of Assumption College Catholic Middle School students following a donation from Unifor 444 representatives.

"I'm going to be using my bike from my home all the way to [school]. It's going to make my life way easier and my parents stress less," said student and bike recipient Jesse Chukwdum.

Giving bikes to students in need is a Unifor Local 444 tradition led by the Community Services Committee for two decades. Assumption was one of two schools where the union gave away bikes on Monday.

Dave Cassidy, president of Unifor Local 444, said the donation shows labour unions can do more beyond collective bargaining.

"We're in the community everywhere. If you look at 444, with Unifor, we're at almost everything involved," Cassidy says. "It doesn't matter what event it is. Pretty much every event, we're tied with."

The bikes are donated to Unifor Local 444 through members of both the union and overall community, which are repaired and given to schools in need.

The students are eager for the chance to have a bike, according to the school's vice principal.

"The kids are so excited, they've been asking for weeks when the bikes are coming," says vice principal Janet Gursoy. "When I gathered them together and said 'go', I almost got trampled."

Another student looking forward to a new bicycle is Sophia Isreal-Tovar. 

She says her new bicycle will scratch an itch to explore her surroundings.

"This summer, I want to go out more. I'm still sick of staying inside from COVID, so I want to go out," she said.

Aside from helping students, Gursoy also said the donation acts as a reward for what students at Assumption College Middle School have done before.

This includes collecting garbage and shoveling sidewalks.

"It's really nice for our community to also give back a little here too. It makes an incentive for the kids to work hard and take pride in their community," she said.