Kevin Gertz, a specialist for the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program, has been salvaging abandoned bicycles from Luke Air Force Base and redistributing them to Cottonwood area veterans.
Gertz’s effort began when he heard about a homeless veteran who had recently come into the program’s Cottonwood location looking for a job and other assistance. Their workforce specialist was able to find him a construction job, but to get to work, he was walking two miles to the work site and two miles back every day. He would also walk to Cottonwood from Camp Verde every weekend to get groceries and other necessities. Gertz then remembered all of the abandoned bicycles that he had seen left on bases during his time in the U.S. Air Force.
Gertz explained that new arrivals at the base often purchase a bicycle to get to and from work while saving up money to buy a car, then leave their bikes behind at the dorms. These bikes end up cluttering the base.
Knowing that Luke Air Force Base was only about two hours away from Yavapai County, Gertz reached out to their dorm manager to try to acquire abandoned bikes. After getting approval to take the bikes, Gertz and his son brought seven bikes back in his pickup truck.
The bikes needed to be refurbished and repaired after being exposed to the heat of the Phoenix sun. Gertz put air in the tires and did other minor repairs, which cost about $50 a bicycle. As more nonprofits became aware of the project, more people came forward to offer to help pay for supplies for the repairs.
Gertz noted that the project benefits everyone, providing a means of transportations for veterans in the local community and helping with base beautification for Luke AFB. He will be returning to the base on June 6 with a trailer to fill up with bicycles, and plans on continuing the project as long as there is a need for it.
“The goal is to find those resources where we can and to have veterans helping veterans,” Gertz said. “To be able to get the airmen at Luke Air Force Base involved in the wellbeing of our veterans in Yavapai County is just absolutely amazing. It’s incredible what we’ve been able to accomplish.”
Gertz also works with Arizona At Work, Catholic Charities, Nation’s Finest and veterans themselves. Catholic Charities is now funding the bike repairs and Nation’s Finest is storing the bicycles.
“It’s almost like that perfect world where everything has come together so cleanly to make such a good project work,” Gertz said. “It’s really incredible.”
As a disabled veteran outreach program specialist, Gertz focuses on veteran employment. He works with veterans who are experiencing significant barriers to employment as identified by the Department of Labor and helps them get the training they need.
Gertz said that when he was in the Air Force and new men arrived during a deployment, they had a saying: “Get them fed and get them to bed.” He compared this to his current work. They start by giving applicants shelter and food, the basic necessities, in order to then help them find employment and work on other important skills.
“It’s a really good feeling to do something very positive to help somebody change their life,” Gertz said. “I’m very grateful to have the platform that I do in order to reach out to the veterans that I can and to help who I can where I can.”
Gertz thanked everyone he has been working with, observing how incredible it is that they can come together as a team to make something happen for one aspect of the community.
Anyone in Yavapai County who wants to donate one or more bikes in semi-working condition can contact Kevin Gertz at kgertz@azdes.gov.
