Bikes for Best

One story

The inaugural Bikes for Best team poses in front of the 50 brand new bikes they put together in 2021. All together, over $10,000 worth of merchandise was donated.

Listen to what Reagan Eastlick, founder of Bikes for Best, had to say about Paul Best, the man who inspired him to collect bikes for kids in need.

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This was Paul. He was a good man, loved by his family and his community.

Paul Best was, to me, the epitome of what a man ought to be. He was elderly when I first met him. He volunteered at Vacation Bible School for our local church and ran the games section for the kids who attended. Instantly I felt some sort of familial pull towards him- he was like a grandfather and mentor to me. He recognized that I needed to work on being humble where I am proud; more charitable when I was selfish. He expressed these sentiments, not harshly, but kindly, and that made all the difference. 

Paul was in his 70’s, but he acted more like a man who had just turned 30. He was simply that type of guy. He loved woodworking and baking and meeting new people; but most of all he loved to bike. Paul would bike every single day, long bike rides that men a quarter of his age could not undertake. In his spryness and athleticism and benevolence, he struck me as nearly immortal, the picture of a man who would live forever.

He did not live forever. He died in a tragic biking accident, doing what he loved one last time. His death hit our community like a brick.

But how can we honor his legacy?

Everyone wants to have a gift under the tree when Christmas comes around. What people often forget is how low income families can’t afford to get a lot of the things kids want. While there are thousands of organizations around the country that do an excellent job providing gifts through toy drives, they often neglect older kids (like younger teens).

We believe that a bicycle can change a kid’s life. Young adults without a bike in low income communities find their worlds constricted to where they can walk – a bicycle can expand one’s world from a neighborhood to a 10 mile radius. In fewer words, bikes could be the difference between getting a good job or getting in to trouble in a bad part of town. Many of us take it for granted, but having mobility can change people’s lives. It certainly changed Paul’s.

Do you know the number one thing young adults want for Christmas? It’s a brand new bike. But bikes are expensive, and for many a $200 gift is simply out of the question.

So how can we help fix it?

One problem

Just a few of the bikes donated to low income children in 2021. Each bike had a sticker placed on it to remind families about this life changing charity.

One solution

Volunteers load bikes into the warehouse where they will later be distributed to kids. Over 50 bikes were purchased and donated before Christmas.

Bikes for Best aims to fill the gaps that toy drives can’t. In 2021 we raised over $7,000 and worked with local business owners and churches to purchase 50 brand new bikes and helmets for kids in need.

Sometimes the best solution is the simplest one. We believe that bikes can change kids’ lives, but that too often folks don’t have the resources. The best way to fix that is to start donating bikes.

Paul Best spent his entire life trying to make the community around him better. Whether that was baking treats for kids at Vacation Bible School, serving his country in the military, volunteering in church positions, or just lending a helping hand when the opportunity presented itself, he always strove to create a better place. We can think of no better way to honor his legacy than to do what he would do. Please consider donating via the QR code below today.

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“The only difference between a setback and failure is permanence. When you fail at first, try again. That’s how you change the world.”

— Reagan Eastlick, Founder

Donate today by reaching out to us at 407-717-6807 or at bikes4best@gmail.com