Each year, Jan Maloff and his team’s CNY Family Bike Giveaway distributes between 2,500 and 4,500 bicycles to local children who otherwise might not have had the chance to enjoy riding a bike of their very own.
While the giveaway itself, now in its 19th year, has been highly publicized, many of the kids who benefit may not get to see who brought their holiday hopes to life: numerous Baldwinsville residents who offer their tools, trucks and time to the effort.
Will DeSain, a retired insurance agent who has helped Maloff coordinate the massive giveaway for 10 years, has rounded up about two dozen volunteers from the B’ville area.
“It’s mushroomed into a nice detail,” DeSain said. “It’s come a long way.”
Maloff’s volunteers collect bicycles from around Central New York throughout the year. DeSain said the giveaway has stored 500 bikes in Baldwinsville alone waiting for this weekend’s giveaway at Fowler High School in Syracuse.
“The joke is that my wife has 50 bikes in her stall [in our garage],” DeSain said.
In November, volunteers haul the bicycles to the New York State Fair’s Center of Progress, where they get the bikes into top condition for the kids to take home.
“It takes a lot of people to make this work,” DeSain said.
While DeSain credits Maloff and the other volunteers with the giveaway’s success, Marc Casson said DeSain deserves recognition too.
In 1993, DeSain was a customer of Casson’s snowplowing business and they’ve remained friends ever since. Casson said there’s no interesting story or reason as to why he joined the bike giveaway — DeSain convinced him to do it. This is Casson’s third year helping haul bicycles.
“I truly believe it’s Will and the connection he has with the community,” said Casson. “He’s well-versed in the community. He knows how to get things done and he’s well connected.”
Casson said the B’ville residents who help store, haul and repair the bikes work behind the scenes, but it’s rewarding and fun.
“It’s awesome to give back to the kids,” he said. “Everybody has a good attitude. Everybody works together. It’s calm, it’s fun. We have some laughs that make the time go by.”
Bob Rendino said DeSain “volunteered” him for the bike giveaway after Rendino’s wife passed away five years ago.
“I was extremely depressed,” Rendino said.
He needed something to “fill the gap,” so DeSain suggested he use his handyman skills to help repair bikes. In addition to assisting with the repairs, Rendino said he accompanied DeSain on trips to Tassone’s Wine Garden to enlist people for the cause.
“He can talk the ears off a brass monkey,” Rendino said. “Will would … convince them it was a good idea to store bicycles.”
While the “goodness of Baldwinsville” has helped thousands of kids receive bikes for Christmas, Rendino said DeSain has been key to bringing volunteers to the giveaway.
“If it weren’t for Will, we wouldn’t be doing it because we wouldn’t know about it,” Rendino said. “He may be humble, but he does all the work.
“I’m the strong-arm. I carry the bikes and I can fix them,” Rendino said. “Will’s the ambassador.”
The CNY Family Bike Giveaway takes place at 10 a.m. Dec. 20 at Fowler High School at 227 Magnolia St. in Syracuse. For more information about the giveaway and how to donate or volunteer, call Jan Maloff at 446-7570 or Will DeSain at 427-3889.
