Our
Mission
Pedal Thru Youth promotes an active and healthy lifestyle among youths by donating bikes and helmets to low-income, or needy, families. PTY partners with local charities, law enforcement, and public schools to serve local communities.
Our team
Bob “The Bike Man” Charland
Bob is the Founder of Pedal Thru Youth, Inc. He started working with children in 2003 when he lead a Girl Scout Troop for his daughter and coached her softball team. He started teaching automotive for Willie Ross School for the Deaf in 2012. Around the same time, he started fixing up bikes to donate to less fortunate kids. In 2017, after being diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease, he decided that he wanted to create a formal organization and start donating bikes to large groups of children. Thus, the idea for Pedal Thru Youth was born. Bob has received numerous awards from local government and community agencies for his contributions to the community, including being recognized by the Springfield City Council and the Center for Human Development in 2017. He currently works and lives in Springfield, Massachusetts.