Bicycle Scholarship Program

The purpose of Vélocity’s Bike Scholarship Program is to facilitate Alexandria residents from low-income families, local shelters, or transitional housing to obtain a safe, reliable bicycle for transportation.  Having a bicycle for transportation can lead to self-sufficiency and possibly advance the person to a new situation in life.  The program not only provides the recipient with a bicycle but he or she learns bicycle safety in the process.

The goal is to have a new scholarship recipient working on and being awarded a bicycle every 4-6 weeks.  Once the scholarship winner is awarded the bicycle, he or she will be able to return to Vélocity Bicycle Co-op to fix and maintain his/her bike.

Objectives: To help financially challenged adults obtain free transportation to be used for getting appointments, programs and possibly work. In some instances, Vélocity accepts applications for children from financially challenged families or who are in the Alexandria foster care system.

1. To teach shelter, transitional housing, halfway housing, rehab or affordable housing  residents how to properly maintain a bicycle and make minor repairs in order to have reliable, safe transportation. (Note: Vélocity hopes to resume this part of the program once the pandemic is more under control.)
2. To promote safe cycling by emphasizing the importance of always wearing a helmet, using a light at night and always locking the bike so it isn’t stolen.
3. To reduce pollution and traffic congestion by showing that people do not always need a car to get to and from work and appointments.
4. To encourage a healthier means of transportation as cyclists get exercise on the way to and from destinations.
5. To help scholarship recipients save their hard-earned money by reducing reliance on other, more expensive forms of transportation.

Bicycle Scholarship recipients receive:

• A refurbished, safe, quality bicycle
• Lights
• Lock
• Helmet
• A simple tarp for storing the bicycle outside

After successfully receiving the Scholarship Bike, recipients may begin to volunteer with Vélocity to earn benefits such as free Do-It-Yourself bike repair stand time if they volunteer more than 10 hours in the previous month.  They will also be eligible to earn lightly used parts and have all of the same benefits as described at the Volunteer with us program.

For questions or more information about our Bicycle Scholarship Program, please contact spokeperson@velocitycoop.org. To obtain a scholarship application, please complete the form at the bottom of this page and email it to spokeperson@velocitycoop.org. 

If you are unable to download the form, simply send a text or email with the responses to the questions including name, height, weight, address, email address, counselor or therapist’s name and contact info (if applicable) and any other responses including why you want or need a bike. Please clearly state that it is your intention to sign the complete form.