Biking Full-Circle: How Damaged Bikes Found New Purpose in Skagit County
It's no secret that HKP’ers love their bikes. Whether we're commuting to the office, volunteering at bike-related events, or just nerding out about fancy tires, bikes are very much a part of our culture here at HKP Architects.
Photo: Out of this world! Becca Wolfe and Cooper Parish posing with their bikes.
A few years back, HKP received a shipment of brand-new bikes meant to support The North American Indian Tour for the Health of Young People (NAIT4HYP), a cross-country bike ride meant to promote health and wellness amongst Native youth. The tour was organized by Jay Blazek, a former Washington resident and brother of HKP's Julie Blazek. The original plan was to donate the bikes at tribal community stops along the route to offer direct support for youth programs focused on physical activity and community connection.
Unfortunately, several bikes arrived damaged or broken during shipping. Unable to be used during the NAIT4HYP tour, they sat in our office, waiting for a new purpose.
Knowing that our city had embedded social workers in our police department who often helped with unhoused residents, we reached out to the Mount Vernon Police Department to see if the bikes might still be useful to someone in need. Recently, HKP's Brian Poppe had the opportunity to follow up the MVPD to learn what became of those broken bikes.
It turns out the bikes found their way to Mark Pearson of the Bike Project, a local grassroots effort committed to restoring damaged and broken bicycles for individuals who may need them most—particularly the members of our unhoused community in Skagit County. Pearson works closely with the First Step in Burlington and the Welcome Home Skagit Day Center in Mount Vernon to get bikes into the hands of people who may need them for daily transportation and mobility.
Photo: Julie Blazek riding to the office for Bike Week 2025
MVPD Outreach Specialist James Kammerer shared with Brian, "Mark fixed them up and gave them back to our community. Thank you again for thinking of ways to make a positive out of a frustrating situation."
The original bikes were replaced and provided to the NAIT4HYP tour, and what began as a shipping disaster for the others turned into a small, but meaningful act of community care. This experience serves as a reminder that even broken damaged things (bikes included) can be restored and repurposed to create a powerful impact. For us at HKP, it is deeply gratifying to see these bikes ride again, and to know they're positively supporting our neighbors within our community!