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RIVERTON — A Riverton teen is using the anniversary of his father’s death to inspire others to find ways to serve after tragedy strikes. Braxton Byrge is donating used and damaged bikes that will be refurbished and donated to Utah families in need. It’s part of his quest to earn his Eagle Scout award.
When you consider your father to be your best friend, you do almost everything together. At least that’s the case for Braxton, 14.
“My dad was my skiing buddy,” he said Braxton. “We boated a lot too.”
On March 12, 2013, Bryan Byrge and John Coons were riding their bikes to work when a truck hit them near the intersection of Redwood Road and 2100 North in Lehi.
Coons was father to three young children and Byrge had four. Their homes were just blocks apart and their families are close.
A pendant, a gift from a friend, hangs around Braxton's neck. It holds a photo of his dad.
This past year has been full of emotional ups and downs for both families but also filled with much support from family, friends and their community.
“You just know this is kind of your new reality. You need to learn and grow with it but you never,” said Katie Byrge, speaking of her husband’s death. “That person will always be a part of your life.”
It’s advice that her son Braxton is taking to heart.
“It’s really sad but in a way it makes you stronger,” he said.
Despite these tough realities, Katie Byrge said both families are focused on honoring both men by starting what they call a "love on two wheels” bike drive.
As the anniversary of his father’s death approaches, Braxton turns to creating service opportunities for himself and others.
Let's do something like a service project instead of, on this horrible day, everyone just crying all day.
–Braxton Byrge
“Let’s do something like a service project instead of, on this horrible day, everyone just crying all day,” he said.
Katie Byrge said her husband and John Coons were best friends who loved biking, working with the young men in their church, and doing service.
“If you can do that kind of stuff (service), then you feel them in your life and you feel close to them,” she said.
On March 12, the anniversary of the deaths, Braxton will host a bike drop-off event at the LDS Church building at 5600 W. 13800 South in Herriman from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. His goal is to collect at least 50 used and broken bikes.
Braxton hopes his project will inspire others to find comfort in giving service after experiencing loss.
“When people say, ‘How can you touch a bike after what happened?’ I just say that was his (father's) passion,” he explained. “I don’t really want to give that up just because of an event that happened.”
After all, Braxton promised his father he would receive his Eagle Scout award. He intends to continue with his bike collection project long after that.
Partnering with Bicycle Collective
He said he is excited to work with a community partner, Bicycle Collective.
Once he has collected those bikes, Braxton will drop them off at any one of Bicycle Collective's locations so that mechanics can refurbish the bikes and donate them to Utah families in need. The organization works with several organizations, including, refugees through the International Rescue Committee and the Fourth Street Clinic.
The collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and individuals in lower-income households.
“We emphasize STEM education by putting wrenches in kids’ hands,” said David Davis, executive director of the Bicycle Collective. “Especially young women who are often told that mechanical tasks are not something that they do.”
Davis said there are certain programs through Bicycle Collective that help keep at-risk kids safe and off the streets.
The Earn-A-Bike program allows low-income youth to select a bike to keep on the condition they have taken it apart and rebuilt it from scratch. Davis said this program hopes to produce future engineers and represents freedom, confidence, teamwork and pride in the youths’ accomplishments.
Last year, the program reported 414 youth who earned bikes over a six-week course.
Bicycle Collective also offers the Bikes for Goodwill program, which Davis explained allows the organization and its partners to offer bikes as a form of reliable transportation to those in need. In 2014 the organization reported that the program provided 1,029 ready-to-ride bikes through referrals from 45 other local non-profits.
Davis said Bicycle Collective also offers other services to the community, “people don’t know that this is also a place for people to fix their own bikes and purchase refurbished ones,” he explained.
The Collective also offers services such as Empowering Women’s Night, weekly free mechanics classes and a program called Trips-for-Kids, which is a chance for at-risk youth to be mentored on guided mountain bike trips.
In 2014, the organization reported serving 6,120 patrons, produced 2,427 refurbished bikes and escorted 730 youngsters on mountain bike rides along the Wasatch Front.
