Local Youth Does Local Good

Many people around the world picked up a hobby while in pandemic lockdown; anything from home improvement projects to a sudden interest in knitting.

But future Peninsula High School junior Gavin Hendrickson filled his alone time by fixing up bikes and donating them to the Red Barn Youth Center in Key Center.

His newfound interest began after a mountain bike crash, and he wanted to teach himself how to repair the damage done to his own bike. In that instant a passion started, not only in bicycle mechanics but through creating an opportunity for community members to grow their own love for bike riding.

With help from the Key Peninsula Fire Department and Red Barn, Hendrickson received around 45 bikes and has already donated 15 to Red Barn.

He launched his mission in November 2021 by asking for donations on his neighborhood Facebook page. He gave away his first five bikes in January of this year. He has fixed many different kinds, from road bikes to mountain bikes and everything in between.

Red Barn is currently the only recipient of Hendrickson’s newly refurbished bikes, but he looks to expand his services to other nonprofits in Tacoma and Bremerton.

“I understand that not everyone has the same opportunity to have a bike like I did, so I wanted to give back by giving kids the opportunity to have a fun time,” he said, describing how he turned an effort at self-improvement into a philanthropic journey.

To donate a bicycle in need of repair to Hendrickson, message him through his Facebook page @GavinsBikeRepair.

For more information on the Red Barn Youth Center, go to www.redbarnkp.org.