Thousands Of 'Free Bikes 4 Kidz' Collected In Minnesota, Wisconsin

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Saturday thousands of people in Minnesota and Wisconsin donated a bike for a kid in need.

This is the ninth annual Free Bikes 4 Kidz collection event, and the sixth time it has partnered with Allina Health.

Saturday Allina collected gently used bikes to donate to kids who need one. Last year, the event set a record collecting 5,500 bikes.

The organization has given away over 32,000 since they started.

"We think every kid should have a bike because it brings joy into their life, it helps to proactively make them healthy, prevents diabetes, heart disease, obesity, all that stuff. It makes them happy," Terry Esau, executive director of Free Bikes 4 Kidz, said. "Because when I get on my bike, it makes me happy."

The bikes will be distributed in early December and in the spring. The kids will also get free helmets.

Free Bikes 4 Kidz has also started in a few other major cities in the country.