The brilliant idea came to Frank Noe sometime between inflating tires and oiling the chain. For some time now, the news has been almost exclusively about Ukraine, about the war and the suffering of the people there. What can I do to help? This question had been his constant companion in the days before, says the 43-year-old Sauerlacher. So the answer came to him while repairing his wife’s bicycle. That’s Frank Noe’s passion, who is not only a passionate cyclist but also an enthusiastic hobby mechanic. “And that’s when I came up with the idea, now that spring is beginning, to repair bicycles – and thus to collect donations for Ukraine.”
“BikeRepair4Ukraine” is the name of his initiative, which was originally only intended for a small group. In other words: Frank Noe wanted to grab an air pump and wrench for friends and acquaintances, repair wheels and in return collect donations for the Ukraine. “But then at some point I came up with the idea of making it big,” says Sauerlacher. Means: “My goal is to encourage as many other hobby mechanics throughout Germany as possible to take part in the initiative.” Frank Noe is open for this www.bikerepair4ukraine.com set up a website. There, bike enthusiasts who want to join him will not only find detailed instructions on how to use their repair skills for a good cause. In addition, there are also templates for posters, announcement posters and your own social media profile on the website.
In the meantime, imitators from Freiburg, Cologne and Hanover have contacted him, says Frank Noe. So far he has spent several hours screwing, oiling and pumping in his garage driveway on two Sundays; a third campaign is to follow soon. As part of the initiative, he repaired more than 20 bicycles or made them fit for spring, says Noe. As a thank you, their owners, who chatted over coffee and Prosecco, could then transfer an amount of any amount via the Betterplace donation platform, which will now benefit Unicef’s Ukraine projects and the Deutschland Hilft campaign. More than 400 euros have been collected so far, says Frank Noe. “But I’m convinced that there’s more to come – if other hobbyists join the initiative. Because if it works in Sauerlach, it will also work in every other community and in every district.”
Frank Noe emphasizes that those who take part in the campaign are supporting Ukraine in two different ways. On the one hand, by collecting money for the people in need. On the other hand, more people could get on their bikes this way – and away from the car, believes the 43-year-old, who has lived in Sauerlach since 2016. “And every liter saved at the pump helps both the climate and the way out of dependence on energy imports from Russia.”