Why Small Businesses Matter in Stamford: Northeast Community Cycles

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Why Small Businesses Matter

Shop small, do big things for your community

Why Small Businesses Matter puts a spotlight on the local merchants who donate their time, talent, goods, and services for the betterment of our community. The shop local movement spreads virally as local businesses who are “tagged” have the opportunity to share their story!

You're IT Northeast Community Cycles!

Three questions with Tony Suppa, President of Northeast Community Cycles.

Why did you start your business?

Northeast Community Cycles is a nonprofit, community initiative.  Our mission is dedicated to providing safe, refurbished bicycles, free of charge, to underprivileged children and adults in Fairfield County, CT.

Through improved mobility and self-empowerment, our bicycles change lives forever by increasing access to employment, education, healthcare and a healthier lifestyle.

Northeast Community Cycles became an official nonprofit in 2012, but the mission to help supply bicycles to the needy began years earlier. 

It all started when I was a young boy. I used to watch my Uncle Pat, in the basement of his machine shop, collect and fix up old bicycles that he found at the town dump. After cleaning and repairing these bikes, he would give them to the children in his neighborhood. He only repaired half a dozen bikes, but that really impressed me. A voice in the back of my head said, Wow that’s pretty cool.  If he could repair 6 bikes… I could repair 6,000.  As an adult, I found and repaired old bikes in my garage and then gave them to elementary students at the school where my wife works.  Years later, I joined Sound Cyclists Bicycle Club, where I met like-minded people who helped me expand my vision and enlarge my goal to make recycled bicycles available to the entire community.

To date, Northeast Community Cycles has given away over 4,500 recycled bicycles. 

What is your best selling service?

Northeast Community Cycles supplies free, refurbished bicycles along with a new helmet to over 47 local social service organizations, religious groups, boys and girls clubs, individuals and other nonprofits.  Go to our website: www.necommunitycycles.org   to see the entire list of charities and a Channel 12 video news clip.

Not only is Northeast Community Cycles giving back to the community by supplying bicycles to those in need, but we are creating a “greener” environment by recycling bicycles that would have ended up in landfills.

How many people do you employ?

Did l forget to mention Northeast Community Cycles is run totally by volunteers?  In addition to our bicycle mechanics, many NECC volunteers help clean bicycles, put air in tires, change bicycle grips and perform basic maintenance on our repairs. Volunteers also pick up and make bicycle deliveries.  Northeast Community Cycles would not exist if it wasn’t for the support of our volunteers.  We are so grateful to all of them.

Northeast Community Cycles is located at 48 Union Street, Stamford. Visit them online here.

HamletHub thanks Fairfield County Bank for making our Why Small Businesses Matter series possible!

Smilow Wakeman Boys and Girls Club

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Submitted by Stamford, CT

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