Pedals for Progress, an initiative first begun by a Peace Corps volunteer, was brought to New Jersey by Larry Witlen, also a former Peace Corps member.



Pedals for Progress, an initiative first begun by a Peace Corps volunteer, was brought to New Jersey by Larry Witlen, also a former Peace Corps member.

South Brunswick collects 168 bikes for charity
BY MELISSA CIFELLI
Staff Writer

SOUTH BRUNSWICK — Pedals for Progress, a charitable program created to collect and ship bicycles to economically disadvantaged countries, completed a successful drive last week at South Brunswick High School.

Volunteers collected 168 bikes along with over $1,700 in donations, according to event organizer and South Brunswick High School math teacher Larry Witlen.

“I’m thrilled,” Witlen said of the hard work put in by volunteers and the amount of money donated to Pedals for Progress.

Members of the Viking Volunteers pitched in to help with the drive, the fifth of its kind in South Brunswick.

“They worked their hearts out,” Witlen said.

Volunteers helped prepare bikes for shipping by compacting them, a tough physical job, according to Witlen.

Pedals for Progress, an initiative first begun by a Peace Corps volunteer, was brought to New Jersey by Witlen, also a former Peace Corps member. Not thrilled with the amount of U.S. foreign aid, Witlen said that instead of complaining about it, he went out privately to do something about it.

Witlen started the drive in the high school as well as in North Brunswick. According to Witlen, residents of economically disadvantaged countries who owned bicycles were better off than others in the area.

Nearly 70 countries receive donations from Pedals for Progress, with an estimated 12,000 bikes shipped a year, according to Witlen.

Witlen said he was pleased at the commitment made by those who donated, particularly those residents who are first-generation and may see bicycles go back to their home countries.

Pedals for Progress, Witlen said, provides donors with a tangible way to see aid go to foreign countries.

The bikes collected have been sent to storage trailers and are awaiting shipments to countries in need, according to Witlen.

Various Pedals for Progress events are scheduled throughout New Jersey in June. Lists of collection locations and dates are listed at the Pedals for Progress Web site at www.p4p.org. Individuals can also contact Larry Witlen at (732) 329-4044, ext. 7102, for information on South Brunswick collections.

When this story was posted in June 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:



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June 6: PC suspends Uzbekistan program Peace Corps has announced that it is suspending the Uzbekistan program after the visas of 52 Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were not renewed. The suspension comes after a State Department warning that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in Uzbekistan and after the killings in Andizhan earlier in May. Background: PCOL published a report on April 23 that Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were having visa difficulties and reported on safety and visa issues in Uzbekistan as they developed.

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June 5, 2005: Special Events Vote in the NPCA Election for new board before June 15 "American Taboo" author Phil Weiss in Maryland on June 18 "Rainforests and Refugees" showing in Portland, Maine until June 25 "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 RPCV's "Taking the Early Bus" at Cal State until Aug 15 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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May 28, 2005: This Week's Top Stories The Coyne Column: Love and War in Afghanistan 28 May Sam Farr supports Coffee Growers in Colombia 28 May Elaine Chao wins Woman of Valor award 27 May Nebraska has strong ties with Afghanistan 27 May Arthur Orr to seek Alabama State Senate seat 26 May Murder of John Auffrey remembered in Liberia 26 May Bill Moyers says journalists should be filters for readers 26 May Linda Seyler spent two years in Thailand digging latrines 25 May Chris Shays blasts Bush on stem cell research 25 May George Wolfe to head Loudoun Academy of Science 25 May David Rudenstine heads Cardozo School of Law 24 May Mark Schneider says declaration is "pretty thin gruel" 24 May Robert Blackwill supports seat for India on Security Council 24 May Chris Matthews weighs Thomas Jefferson nomination 24 May Jim Knopf is expert on xeriscape gardening 23 May Mae Jemison receives honorary degree at Wilson 23 May Kenneth Proudfoot says dreams come true 22 May

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