Page 38 - BusinessWest May 26, 2020
P. 38

  Bike Man in a while.”
energy and passion that Charland brings to
his work, which has certainly evolved since he launched Pedal Thru Youth and evolved even fur- ther in the wake of the pandemic.
Changing Lanes
Indeed, when COVID-19 shut down schools (to which this agency provides a large number of bikes), the economy in general, and non-essential businesses and nonprofits, Charland shifted to making cloth masks and distributing them to police departments and other destinations.
“IlovewhatIdo.Thisisalotof fun, and to see the look on the kids’ faces ... that’s what drives me.”
“I was bored,” he said when recalling those first few weeks after COVID arrived. “I know how to sew, so I started sewing face masks at home with my stepson. We then started putting the masks, hand sanitizer, and gloves in backpacks and handing them out to police departments, because those departments certainly weren’t ready for COVID — they didn’t have enough supplies.”
The story went viral on social media, and People magazine published a piece that caught
Continued from page 36
Collectively, the stops on the tour tell of the mission and the inestimable
   the attention of Samsonite, which sent Charland some industrial sewing machines, fabric, and elastic so he could ramp up production of masks.
“We ended up having nine sewing machines out in the community,” he said, adding that he
Just some of the thousands of bikes waiting to be repaired and prepared for delivery to children, veterans, and other constituencies at the headquarters for Pedal Thru Youth in Springfield.
     schedule a tour
TIME TO GET YOUR GROOVE BACK!
CLEAN | SAFE | HEALTHY
Spring into the season with us! We provide members with both a virtual and in-person fitness experience through our personal training services, state-of-the-art equipment, a variety of group fitness classes, customized health programs and much more.
Complimentary Safe Start appointments are available so that you can see all of the cleaning and safety protocols first-hand.
   To schedule a tour, visit:
www.healthtrax.com
 38
MAY 26, 2021
NONPROFITS
Staff Photo
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