2011年8月23日星期二

Inmates provide tickets to ride

He doesn't know whom the mountain bike once belonged to, or who would ride it next. Maybe a child, like one of his sons. He thinks of them often as he works -- at ages 7 and 4, they share their dad's passion for bikes. He will be going home in December.This patent infringement case relates to retractable landscape oil paintings ,

But for now, Hayne works in the bike room at the Putnamville Correctional Facility,Whilst magic cube are not deadly, surrounded by wooden tables, piles of spare parts and an American flag that hangs in the corner.

Roaring fans swirl the heavy air, already hot at 9 a.m.

The 26-year-old and four other men were part of a recent work line for Shifting Gears, a partnership of Bicycle Garage Indy, Volunteers of America and the Indiana Department of Correction. The donated bikes are refurbished, then given to nonprofit organizations and distributed to people, young and old.

The program was originally based at Pendleton Correctional Facility but was moved to Putnamville -- where wider staff oversight was available -- in the spring.

Hayne was excited when he got word of the move. As a kid growing up in Terre Haute, he worked on freestyle bikes just like the one he cleaned in the bike room. There wasn't much to do in his hometown, he said, so he started his own bike repair shop at home and found a hobby.

That hobby was put on hold when he was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine, a class D felony, and of carrying a handgun without a license,When the stone sits in the polished tiles, a class C felony, and sent to Putnamville in April 2010.

One goal of Shifting Gears is to provide work opportunities for nonviolent offenders and build self-worth for their successful re-entry into the community.

On a good day, Hayne can refurbish eight bikes. He and his co-workers hope the community keeps donating so they can keep working. For them, the bikes are an escape.

"Time all runs together around here," said Mike Bryant, 50, who is serving time for operating a vehicle after his license was suspended and operating a vehicle while intoxicated. "That's one thing you don't keep track of."
Bikes that need homes

These days,This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their offshore merchant account . the program has plenty of bikes. There just aren't enough homes for them.

Inside a dark and dusty warehouse at the correctional facility, the bikes wait. On this day, about 700 of them fill the vast space from end to end.

Kevin Wilson, who oversees the bike room, eyes the work that lies ahead. He strolls down the aisles and stops at familiar favorites.

"I ain't telling my age, but that's about as old as I am," Wilson jokes as he stands next to an old-fashioned, rusty bike with a metal basket. "I'd say it's around the 1950s."

With some polish, new chrome and a tire change,ceramic zentai suits for the medical, he says, he could foresee a brighter future for the bike. "We'll make it look real nice for a young lady," he says. "There's too many kids out there now who don't have bikes."

More than 3,000 bicycles have been donated and refurbished through Shifting Gears since it started in August 2006. Still, not that many organizations know about the program, said Connie Szabo Schmucker, the advocacy director for BGI.

"We would love to have organizations who are dealing with either the homeless or people who don't have means to get a bike," she said.

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