Pedal Power bike collection drive in Elmhurst

Eighth-grader Brenda Perez's favorite subject is math, but she likes being a starting forward on her school's girls basketball team and riding her bike, too.

All summer long, the honor student rode her blue 10-speed to the park with her siblings.

The 13-year-old, who attends Cesar Chavez Multicultural Academic Center in Chicago and takes honors geometry classes at Back of the Yards High School, was awarded the used bicycle in recognition of her academic achievements through a program called Pedal Power.

"It definitely has motivated me to work harder, knowing it would pay off," she said. "I think that it brings a lot of opportunity and motivation for students."

Started on the North Shore 11 years ago by two Wilmette students, Bennett and Nicole Basil, the bicycle donation drive was expanded last year into the Western suburbs by two Elmhurst students, Grant and Lauren Schleiter.

"I think it was so much fun, and it turned out so much better than I thought it would," said Lauren, a 15-year-old sophomore at Fenwick High School.

She said 154 used bicycles were collected in Elmhurst with the help of Stemple's Cycles, which agreed to serve as a collection point. A total of about 500 bikes were collected at Pedal Power's nine Chicago area sites in 2017, she said.

The venture went so well that the Elmhurst contingent will participate again this year with a collection set for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 27, at Stemple's, 494 Spring Road. In all, there will be 10 suburban collection sites.

The gently used, working bicycles are trucked to Chavez school, where honor roll students are given the opportunity to select one to take home.

Lauren and Grant Schleiter attended last year's award assembly at the school.

"It was amazing," said Lauren. "As soon as I had seen the kids and how excited they were, the looks on their faces, the work that had been leading up to this was totally worth it."

"It was really emotional, really cool," said Grant, 14, an eighth-grader at Immaculate Conception Grade School in Elmhurst. "It was such a great experience. People were smiling, people were crying. It just gives you a good feeling that you were doing a good thing."

Grant said he and his sister hope to keep the event going beyond this year.

"We want to make it more of a charity and expand it," he said.

Lauren said donors who made the tax-deductible donations last year were given paper receipts.

"This year, we're going to use a computer or an iPad or something," she said.

Several merchants and organizations partner with the nonprofit group to collect, refurbish and deliver the bicycles, including Divvy Bikes, which helps with transport, said their mother, Dori Schleiter.

If you go

What: Pedal Power 2018 Used Bicycle Drive

When: 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 27

Where: Stemple's Cycles, 494 S. Spring Road, Elmhurst

Info: www.gopedalpower.com