Local teen organizes summer bike drive

By Mario Carr EBS CONTRIBUTOR

Fourteen-year-old Connor Sullivan has a love for mountain biking, and a recent project shows his heart for the other kids in the Big Sky community.

Sullivan has organized a donation drive to collect bikes for other Big Sky kids. He plans to keep the drive running throughout the summer, and possibly in years to come. So far, it’s working—as of June 12, he’s already collected 13 bikes and donated 10.

“I love mountain biking, and I know that bikes are very expensive. My goal this summer is to make it so that every kid in Big Sky who wants a bike can have a bike,” he wrote in an email to EBS.

Back at his house, Sullivan has been cleaning and repairing the bikes. He has also started an Instagram page, @bigskybikedrive, to post updates and get in touch with potential donors. 

“People outgrow their bikes, there’s always a lot of used bikes sitting around in garages and I just wanted to help get those out to kids in Big Sky,” he said in an interview with EBS.

Sullivan volunteers at Big Sky Thrift, and the Big Sky Community Food Bank. Both of these places played a role in inspiring him to organize the bike drive.

Emily Burke, associate director of Big Sky Thrift, is proud to see Sullivan heading up this project.

“We really wanted to support Connor in this endeavor. One thing that Connor has over us, even, is that he has bike mechanic skills and he can turn wrenches on these bikes,” Burke said.

At Big Sky Thrift, Burke has noticed that “we all have too much stuff” in Big Sky, and she is thrilled to see families eager to donate their excess bikes to a good cause. She thinks that the community is excited to rally behind a young kid like Sullivan with a big vision.

“I think the community is more stoked to see a young kid doing this, rather than just the thrift taking them in,” Burke said.

Sullivan is filling out a spreadsheet to organize the bikes by size and type, which he is going to share with Big Sky Thrift and the food bank who then will help find families in need of a set of wheels.

“He came up with the idea and spearheaded it himself,” said Laine Hegness, operations assistant at the Big Sky Community Food Bank.

Hegness also works at the Big Sky Community Library where Sullivan also volunteered this past winter and said that Sullivan is a “go getter,” and that she and her coworkers there are thankful for the next generation of leaders in Big Sky.

“I’ve just been completely blown away by the generosity of people that have offered to help and already donated bikes,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan is the eldest of four kids in his family, and he says that he has already seen several of his bikes pass down the line. He also says that after he teaches his five-year-old sister how to ride a bike with no training wheels, he will be offering to teach other kids how to ride a bike for free.

Sullivan is very thankful for the generosity the community has shown and the help he has received, and for his parents who have been very supportive of his vision.

“If anyone is in need of a bike, just tell them to reach out and I can deliver it to them,” he said.

Sullivan will also offer front porch pickup for anyone willing to donate. He plans to collect bikes at the Big Sky Farmers Market on July 24, and can be reached through the bike drive Instagram page, or via email.