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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Since You Asked: Iowa, N.H. don't always predict a final winner ... The Latest: Refuge occupier says members will turn themselves in ... Thieves target health club parking lots, again ... Since You Asked: Iowa, N.H. don't always predict a final winner ... The Latest: Refuge occupier says members will turn themselves in ... Thieves target health club parking lots, again ... VOLUNTEERS West Medford men give away bikes to people who need them Comment By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 10, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 10, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Two semi-retired gents along Summit Avenue are proving that everyone can contribute in one way or another. For nearly a year, West Medford neighbors Mike "Kurb" Strickland and Lee Teague have been quietly providing bikes to kids and adults in Medford. For free. "We don't really have any criteria or rules we go by. If somebody needs a bike, we just try to give them one," Strickland said. A disabled retiree who still works nearly full-time as a forklift operator during pear season, Strickland, 68, said the bike project began last spring with a single bike and a Facebook post that caught his eye. "Somebody on one of the West Medford pages — the beautification page or the residents one, I don't remember — posted that somebody stole their kid's bike. I thought, 'Ya know what, that's not OK!' So I looked through Craigslist or somewhere and found a bike, and Lee put air in the tires and fixed it up, and the kid was happy," Strickland recalls. "Then, not long after that, I saw where an adult said they needed a bike to get to work and they wondered if anybody had a bike. So we just started looking for all types of bikes." Strickland and Teague estimate they've given away about three dozen bikes. Efforts to provide those first two bikes evolved to a weekly endeavor of scouring bike parts from Craigslist — for free or cheap — and having donations regularly dropped off on the men's porches. Bike recipients range from kids whose bikes were stolen — a unfortunately common occurrence — or adults who need a way to get to work. Strickland, who lives next door to Teague, said the project is their way of giving back. "The thing is, I'm kind of disabled, yet I'm still working some, but it's hard for me to go out and pick up couches or trash. I just can't do it physically. So I look for bikes. Sometimes I find them for free, sometimes I'll pay a little if they're cheap," he said. Teague, the self-proclaimed "silent partner" and bike-repair guru, said the project makes a lot of sense considering kids too often outgrow bikes and leave them to rust in backyards and garages. "Kids tend to grow up, then they outgrow bikes or they stop using them. But there's a lot of call for them from other families that would dearly love to have those bikes," said Teague, 64. "We get some that are pretty rusted up, but most of what we do is elbow grease and some oil. We get them working again so they can be of use to another family." The men have a busy partnership, with Strickland collecting parts and networking online, while Teague handles rusty chains, flat tires and basic repairs. "He does the running around to get parts, and I do what I've always done — stay home and work on bikes all day," Teague said, noting that he had just put the finishing touches on a pink Hello Kitty bike. While they don't often hear back from recipients of their bikes, Strickland and Teague said they're happy to know they played a small part in showing victims of bike theft that the community takes care of its neighbors. "We give bikes to a lot of people who are recovering, and sometimes they take the bike and they sell it. It never really makes me mad as much as it disappoints me, because I hope we're helping them to move forward," he said. "I'd rather, if they have to sell it, that they sell it for food instead of drugs. I just hope that in giving them a bike, they feel like someone wanted to help them out." Randi Brock, administrator of a West Side Beautification Facebook page, said Strickland and Teague are inspiring. "These two have been instrumental in helping so many of our community members get back on their feet and get mobile again. At times, they help those who have been victims of theft and other times people who just need a friendly boost," Brock said. "They've made a huge impact on the town in such a simple way, reminding folks that even perfect strangers really do care." On a basic level, Teague and Strickland agree, the bike project is more about the gesture of helping neighbors than the actual gift of a bike. "I remember one of the bikes that made me feel really good was when a father with two or three children came over to pick up a bike to replace one that was stolen from his little girl," Strickland said. "They were surprised someone would just offer to give her another bike. While they were here, I asked her sister, 'Do you have a bike?' She told me no, she didn't. So we gave out two bikes that day. "And the smiles on their faces made it all worthwhile." Anyone interested in donating bikes or bike parts for the project can leave a post on the West Side Beautification Facebook page. Reach Medford freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected]. By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 10, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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