This past Sunday in River Forest, one group of volunteers spent the morning doing their part to get people excited about cycling by offering access to affordable bicycles while encouraging sustainability. It was part of the River Forest Community Bike Exchange, hosted outside Roosevelt Middle School.
Since 2021, the Bike Exchange has served to provide child- and adult-sized bikes and gear, from hitches and helmets, to riders in four ways: by bringing a bike or bike accessory that they’ve outgrown or no longer use and exchange it for a new bike; by donating a bike or bike accessory; by making a monetary donation and leaving with a gently-used bike or bike accessory; or bringing an existing bike for on-the-spot registration with the River Forest Police Department. Bikes and gear are purchased for a small donation, and the event also includes bike cleanings and tuneups on the spot.
Lindsey Silver, the River Forest resident who started the exchange, says the idea for the exchange came a year into the pandemic from a conversation with her husband, Damian, about how she noticed several social media requests from local parents looking for bikes for their kids as supplies were growing low both in stores and online.
Bike Exchange
“I decided to post on one of the River Forest neighborhood Facebook groups to see if the concept of a bike exchange already existed, and if not, would people be interested?” Silver said. “The responses were overwhelmingly positive. We decided to see what it would take to make an event like this happen, and the first Exchange took place on Saturday, April 17, 2021.”
That inaugural year, Silver says about 12 volunteers came together; this year, she says over 20 volunteers helped make the Exchange a success by spreading the word, helping drop off bikes in the days leading up to the event at Silver’s home for tuneups, and working the day of to help things run smoothly.
Bike Exchange
Alongside volunteers, the Bike Exchange was also held in partnership with Green4Good environmental stewardship committee (consisting of local parents of River Forest School District 90) and the Village of River Forest’s Sustainability Commission. Green4Good, Silver says, was founded by parents to encourage environmental stewardship at school, home and in the community.
Silver adds that when she first came up with the idea of the Bike Exchange, she had no idea if people would actually come out and participate.
“We learned so much during year one and two. One of the things we implemented in the second year was putting a bike sticker on the bikes that found a new home,” she explained. “Each year, we’ve changed the sticker slightly, and this allows us to see when bikes come back through the Exchange, which is really incredible.”
She added that a large part of the program’s success has been because of the value it has created for families, whether financially, socially or emotionally.
Bike Exchange
“We’ve focused on making the event better each year and always reflect back on the spirit of why we are doing this, which at the core is to provide something special to our community,” she said.
Through volunteers and sponsorship for the Bike Exchange come from River Forest residents, Silver says the Exchange has always been open to people from any neighboring community. Every year, she says, the event has patrons come from Oak Park, Forest Park, Elmwood Park, Riverside and even Elmhurst.
Additionally, bikes and gear leftover from Sunday’s event were donated to Oak Park’s Hephzibah Home, furthering the group’s mission of community outreach and bike ownership for kids from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
Five years in, Silver says it has been “incredibly meaningful” seeing the support from so many people — alongside seeing smiling faces leaving the Exchange with new-to-them gear and a positive mindset.
“Thinking about the feedback that we receive each year makes me smile,” she said. “It is just the best when people walk in and find me to tell me that this is a family tradition and that they look forward to the Bike Exchange each year. It can also elicit such happy emotions when you see the bike you’ve donated get chosen as ‘the one’ by someone else.”