PERRY, Ohio — In 2023, 3News first introduced viewers to 15-year-old high school sophomore Brody Hicks, whose program Upcycle Cycles repaired old bikes and donated them to kids in need. Hicks’ passion for bikes inspired him to help those who didn’t have them, getting bikes from his local landfill, making the necessary repairs, and donating eight to students in Painesville.
Since then, Hicks’ efforts have grown. He tells 3News that our story helped him raise awareness and garner support, receiving bike and monetary donations from the community. Now, he’s transitioned to fixing bikes from landfills, to fixing bikes donated by the community, and has been able to provide helmets with his bicycles as well.
“It definitely feels great,” Hicks said. “I loved riding a bike as a kid, and knowing that these other kids will have these bikes to ride, it’s just a good feeling.”
Hicks started the school year with the goal of fixing and donating 50 bikes by the end of the academic year, a goal he’s already surpassed, thanks to his work providing bikes to a local food pantry during the holidays.
“He emailed me in September asking if I knew of any place where he could distribute his bicycles, and I said, well I certainly, so I asked him to come in,” said Carole Martin, a co-administrator at The Perry Center, a food pantry.
When Hicks reached out, Martin was preparing to send a note to the food pantry’s clients to inform them that they’d be unable to provide bicycles for the holiday season this year.
“I said, 'it’s just perfect timing,'” she said of connecting with Hicks.
With Hicks’s support, Martin let the food pantry’s clients know that if they wanted a children’s bike for Christmas, they could fill out an application. And soon enough, requests for 64 bikes came pouring in.
“At first, the orders came in probably four at a time, it seemed ok,” Hicks said. “Then she emailed me and she’s like, ‘I have 40 more orders for you,’ and I was like ‘wow.' At first, I didn’t think I could do it. But with the power of the community handing me these bikes that were in great condition, we were able to get it done.”
“When I first talked to Brody, I asked him what his goal was, and he said 50 bikes by the end of the school year, which would have been next May. So I was a little concerned that it might be a little much, but he came through,” Martin said.
Hicks said he started working on those 64 orders in early November, spending his free time outside of school, homework, and swimming repairing bicycles. He said when he’d have free time on weekends, he’d spend six or seven hours working on the bikes, even spending six hours working on Thanksgiving.
“I still do have free time like all other people, rather than just sitting around doing nothing, scrolling through TikTok, I find it better to fix these bikes for people in need,” he said.
Now, Hicks has donated a total of 72 bicycles this school year, surpassing his goal of 50. However, he has no plans of slowing down, hoping to continue finding partners where he can donate and distribute bikes.
To support Hicks, you can reach out to him at upcyclecyclesohio@gmail.com, or visit his Facebook page or Gofundme.
