Fixes bikes, donates them to those in need
TRAVERSE CITY, MI -- Sometimes there are people who need a little extra push to reach the path to success.
One Traverse City man has helped hundreds of people and that's why he's 7&4's Your Town Hero.
"It hurts to sit here. I want to be working on them," said Don Cunkle, October’s Your Town Hero.
It's an addiction too few people have, and taking time out of his night was like interrupting a well-oiled machine. Don Cunkle is addicted to giving peddles to people.
“They need to be riding bikes, it's the way to get around," he said.
His garage is a haven for bicyclist enthusiasts. He has just about every handle bar you can imagine, a few pedals, but most importantly, a lot of elbow grease.
“Some days it's an hour, two hours, some days it's five to six hours, depending on what I need to get done, and you know, if I have two to three I need to get done, I work on them until I'm finished," said Cunkle.
And the price he puts on the bike is just right, especially for the people they're going to. Free for disadvantaged people looking to get from point A to point B.
Like a bike that was once transportation across the Michigan State Campus. Now it'll be transportation for a woman at a local shelter. Cunkle fixes them up and donates them to places like Goodwill, woman's shelters, anywhere people could use a bike to get around.
The addiction began four years ago, when he fixed 100 local bikes and donated them. He's already repaired 130 this year, and 450 bikes later, he's making a difference.
"I may not hear from them how they're used or anything, but I know they're being used," said Cunkle.
A smiley face sticker marks every bike he's fixed up, and does a lot more than put a smile on the faces of who gets a bike from Your Town Hero.
To contact Don, e-mail him at ycunkle@charter.net
