Welcome to Bikes without Boundaries

sending bikes to an impoverished communities in El Salvador

Mission

Bikes without Boundaries’ mission is to collect new and second-hand bicycles to send to impoverished communities in El Salvador. The goal is to improve the quality of life in these communities by providing a cheap, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly source of transportation that will serve as:

Transportation to/from school or work.
A means to carry cargo to and from the marketplace.
To provide a source of pride and skills to the recipient.

Goal:

To raise enough money (and collect enough used bikes) to send 100 bicycles to El Salvador. I hope to raise funds by having people sponsor me during a 3,500 mile, self-sufficient, cross country bike ride.

Story:

My name is Alex Szozda. I am starting Bikes without Boundaries as a tribute to my mother and her family from El Salvador. I am a first generation American. In 1980, my mother, Eleticia Marroquin, left a war ravaged El Salvador to seek asylum and a better life. The civil war in El Salvador killed 75,000 people, almost 2% of the total population. A college student in El Salvador, my mother arrived to the U.S. young and having to start over. However, her decision proved to be a successful one. It is because of my mother’s good decisions that I have never had to face any of the adversities that she has had to live through.

In 2007, I went to El Salvador and visited Barahona, a poor rural town two hours east of San Salvador. The desperate living conditions over there came to a shock to me. No electricity, kids without shoes (much less toys), families sleeping in confined quarters……these were my first images of Barahona. The kids that I met didn’t have much, but they lived with a lot of zeal. All the people we met who did not have much were so hospitable and generous, they gave us so much attention that it really touched my heart.

After leaving Barahona, I felt empowered to do something. It’s not until you are faced with a stark contrast of your life, that you realize how well you have it and that even you can do something. Also, I knew that any charitable act, no matter how big or small, would be received with grateful smiles. The idea to donate bikes came from my passion for biking, as well as the many opportunities that a bike can bring. Bikes can provide a primary means of transportation for many of these communities and allow students to get to school quicker, adults to access markets with their goods, and people to have more time to be productive. Bikes will help these communities to obtain food, water, healthcare, school and economic opportunities. Bikes are also cheap to maintain, and environmentally-friendly.

Updates:

Please visit My Donations link to find out how you can help contribute.

501(c)(3) Tax Exemption status pending.......

Bikes without Boundaries has completed the necessary paperwork and filed with the U.S. government for 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. Thanks to everyone who has generously donated to our cause and made this all possible. It is because of your donations that we are able to follow our dream. We'll keep you all informed and up to date as our pending application is processed with the IRS.

Bike Ride:

To raise money towards this cause, I am doing a 3,500 mile, cross-country bike ride. My hope is that people will donate and in turn sponsor my cause during this challenging ride. No matter the amount, any contribution will go a long way and will be greatly appreciated.

I will be starting my bike ride in Ottawa, Canada on September 18th, crossing over to Maine, riding down the Atlantic Coast to Jacksonville, FL and then heading west to Houston.

You can track my progress by visiting my blog page and seeing where in the U.S. I will be.

This bike ride is something that I’ve always wanted to do. The idea of being outdoors and exploring the countryside while pushing yourself beyond your own pre-conceived limits is what attracts me to this. The bike ride will be fully self-sufficient in that that I will be carrying all my gear and clothing, and will be camping out in parks across the country. If anyone would like to join me along my route, please contact me. Riders are welcome.

About Me

An outdoors and sports enthusiast by night, by day I am a senior professional in Ernst Young’s Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) group, where I have worked for the last four years and who have kindly granted me a 2 month leave of absence to pursue this opportunity. I hold a BS in Economics from Cornell University (2004) and an MS in Accounting from the University of Virginia (2006).

I discovered my love for long distance biking through my participation in the last three MS150 charity bicycle rides, which is a 150 mile charity bike ride from Houston to Austin to benefit multiple sclerosis. I enjoy bike touring for the ability it gives you to see the countryside and to travel from one place to another…without paying a dime.

As mentioned, my mother is from El Salvador, but my father is from Poland. That side of my family has had an equally important impact on my life as well. I’d like to thank my parents and the rest of my family for their support during this journey.

Finally, I’d like to thank my wife, Kasia, for her love, patience, and help during this process. I love you and will be home soon.