A bicycle is a rite of passage, as the Rev. Larry Bell and Dave DelFavero of the United Church of Auburn are concerned.

This sentiment inspired DelFavero to propose a special bicycle repair ministry through the church - an idea that Bell was immediately responsive to.

“I remember my first bike,” Bell said. “And I remember my father teaching me how to fix it. It is really something special. It is your first chance to go out on your own and to go a little further down the street. A bike is a really important thing to a child and I just thought this was a wonderful idea.”

DelFavero, who is retired but works part-time as a school nurse at Seward Elementary School, has been a lifelong bike enthusiast who rarely steps away from his own. For much of his life, he said, he has always had one. He enjoys recreational riding, and for as long as he's worked, he has ridden his bike to and from work as much as possible.

“I ride my bike to work everyday,” DelFavero said. “Even in the winter.”

This fact caught the attention of some of the students at Seward Elementary.

“They would ask me why I rode my bike to school all the time,” DelFavero said. “They would ask me if I had a car or not. And I would tell them that I ride my bike all the time because it is fun.”

This is a joy that DelFavero has strived to share with students as much as possible. Through the school, DelFavero donates several bikes every school year to students in need.

“The kids love it,” DelFavero said. “That is a great feeling. Having a bike is a lot of fun and I want kids to be able to experience that.”

Looking around the school served as an inspiration for DelFavero. He said that he noticed a lot of children would often ask him questions about their bikes. This is what got the idea for the repair ministry off the ground.

“I had my dad to show me how to fix my bike,” DelFavero said. “A lot of kids now don't always have someone that they can go to to show them how to fix their bike. So I thought maybe we could do something like this to help out kids that needed a little help fixing their bike. Usually with kids' bikes it is pretty simple things that are easy to fix.”

After sharing the idea with Bell, the repair ministry was born.

“Dave really loves bikes,” Bell said. “He saw a lot of kids all the time that had bikes that they couldn't use because they were broken, and he felt there was something that he could do about it. I think that that is a great idea.”

So far the new ministry has been off to a slow start, but DelFavero has been able to help a few children get their bikes back in working order.

“With the colder weather kids probably aren't riding their bikes as much,” DelFavero said. “But we are here to help kids who need help fixing their bike.”

Bell said that the opportunity to take part in the repair ministry will continue on.

“It is something we are happy to offer,” Bell said. “Maybe it will pick up in the warmer months, but we are happy to be able to offer something like this.”

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For more information about the United Church of Auburn's bicycle repair ministry, call the church at 252-4397.