Philanthropist Donates 500 Bikes to Milwaukee Youths

Iyanna Jones (left) and Tianna Jones (right) receive a free bike during the annual Black on the Block. (NNS file photo Chesnie Wardell)

After passing through the suburbs of Milwaukee, Eric “Shake” James realized there was a lack of bikes in Milwaukee’s underserved communities, prompting him to launch an annual bike giveaway called “Black on the Block.”

James gave away 500 bikes on Saturday, June 21 at 1935 W. Hampton Ave., along with free resources and food for families.

James realized North Side children lacked exercise opportunities when he saw suburban children in Whitefish Bay and Oak Creek had tons of bikes and bike racks at their schools.

“Those kids are riding to school, but when you come to the inner city, the kids here are getting to school solely on buses, and childhood obesity is like a real thing,” James said.

The giveaway was organized by JAY Academy, his  nonprofit organization that provides wellness, arts education, professional development and more to support Milwaukee youths.

Community support boosts efforts

Each year the quantity of bikes has increased by 100. To get the bikes, James partnered with local organizations like Bader Philanthropies Inc. and received donations from community members like UFC fighter Montel Jackson.

“Montel saw me at Walmart getting the bikes, and he just gave me $5,000 right there on the spot and told me he liked what I was doing,” James said.

Additional support came from Ald. Andrea Pratt and Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who have visited the event before and helped promote it.

Those in need

During the bike giveaway, Dannetta Jones and her two daughters, 12-year-old Iyanna and 9-year-old Tianna, returned to get new bikes.

Dannetta hopes that her daughters and other children take care of their new bikes.

“Last year, their bikes got torn up fast,” Dannetta said.

Tianna felt bad when there was a hole in her tire after letting her cousin ride it, and no one would share theirs with her.

“I didn’t like that it was messed up, so I really wanted a new one,” Tianna said.

Tianna plans to visit her cousin’s house with her new bike.

More than just a bike

For Iyanna, she sees her new bike as a new form of transportation and a sense of independence as she typically goes to her local store and rides alone.

“I’m excited to have this new bike because I can go anywhere now without having to walk,” Iyanna said.

“It’s a gift that someone got for me and I’m thankful for it,” Iyanna said.

James finds joy seeing the children receive their bikes because he thinks it’s better than being on the phone or a video game.

“They got to get outside and start enjoying all these different things that the city of Milwaukee has to offer,” James said.

Better resources for a new generation

Alecia Ball is a McGovern Park resident who brought her three grandchildren to the bike giveaway. She has full custody of them because of the death of their mother.

Ball’s grandchildren have toys at home but no bikes. Initially, she aimed to purchase one for them, but found out about the event through Facebook.

Ball hopes that all the children actually use the bikes and have fun with them as they’re receiving resources she never had.

“When I was raised, we didn’t have any assistance like this, so this free giveaway makes a difference in the community,” Ball said.

Plans to improve

James has plans to expand the giveaway by arranging a neighborhood group ride for the children by next year.

In addition, James is seeking help to promote bike safety for the children by bringing back free helmets.

During the first year of the giveaway, helmets came with the bikes, but they were excluded in later giveaways because of costs.

“I’m trying to find somebody to deal with, with the helmet situation, because those run about $20 to $40,” James said.

According to James, “Black on the Block” is his second-largest event where hundreds of people are in line waiting for something good.

James wants parents to know that he understands their situation and wants what’s best for the children.

“I know it’s tough right now, but we’re going to fight our way through it together,” James said.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.