The Mission in My Words: Kim Skattum

What does your involvement with the Mission look like?

Before this bike shop, I pastored a church and would always gather people to serve at the Mission, usually downtown. And then I started the bike shop in 2017 where we do low or no-cost repairs. We hire high school and college students and have eight adult volunteers. We do a lot of servicing for the homeless, foster kids and people in need. We’ve gone to section eight apartments, The Crossing and libraries.

We just try to get to places where people can’t afford bike repair and do neighborhood clinics to empower people to fix their own bikes. We also got a trailer donated, so we fitted it for a mobile bike shop, and last summer, we did a hands-on training bike repair event for the community at The Crossing. It was really quite encouraging because they were so eager to learn and very, very grateful. Working with Denver Rescue Mission is a very fulfilling way of spending your life for the betterment of somebody else. And what a great impact that has.

What kind of impact do you hope to make on the community through your bike shop?

It’s the way I can contribute a skill that I have to help a sector of the community with a basic need for transportation that’s critical for those who don’t have the ability to drive their own car. Last year, we were just shy of 1,000 bikes that we gave away and/or worked on with free repairs. We just do what I think we’re supposed to be doing for our community, and it makes a big impact and has helped hundreds of people. The transportation aspect of a bicycle can change a life, so don’t underestimate what acts of love and service can make a difference.