About Project Bicycle Love
Project Bicycle Love is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that exists to provide new bicycles and helmets to kids and youth in the Foster Care System, Transitional Living homes or other at risk situations. Our primary bike giveaway takes place at Christmas.
We are a local, grassroots organization striving to make a difference in the lives of foster kids through the simple gift of a bike.
We are especially passionate about providing bicycles to teens and youth living in groups homes or who are about to age out of the “system”. They generally do not have a driver’s license or vehicle of their own. A good bicycle can provide transportation to school & work and provide a sense of responsibility and freedom.
This project started as a personal project we did at Christmas 2017. As owners of a local, independent real estate company, we wanted to give back to the community and between our love of bicycling and our passion for foster kids, we decided to purchase and donate bicycles to foster children at Christmas that year. We spread the word of what we were doing to friends, family, and associates in the real estate industry. We purchased, collected and gave away 57 brand new bikes & helmets that year.
In 2018, we doubled the number of bikes & helmets given away to 114. Because of the overwhelming response and support from the local foster care community as well as the generosity of our personal network in donating and volunteering, we decided to form a nonprofit corporation. In 2019, we filed for and obtained 501(c)(3) nonprofit status with the hope of being able to give away even more bikes. To date, we have donated over 1000 brand new bikes to local kids.
Give a Bike, Change a Life!
100% of donations stay in our community.
Eric & Janet Baucom
Founders - Project Bicycle Love
We have been residents of Ventura County since 1988. Eric has been working as a Realtor® since 1999. He spent almost 20 years with RE/MAX before starting Coastlands Real Estate Group, a locally owned real estate brokerage with a passion for giving back to the community. Eric has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business & Marketing from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a MBA from Pepperdine University. Before joining Eric at Coastlands Real Estate Group, Janet worked at Amgen, as a Compensation Manager, and as a Training and Organizational Development Specialist. She also worked as the Groups Director at Ventura Missionary Church. Janet has a Bachelor's Degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Master's Degree from Cal State Northridge. Eric and Janet have been married for 34 years and they have three children.
Eric serves as an elder and is involved with the missions program at Ventura Missionary Church. He has provided leadership for the Songhai project, bringing medical care and clean water to a people group in Nigeria. If he is not at work, church or home, you might find him outdoors with his camera taking landscape photos or riding his road bike. Janet has also participated in several missions trips to both Mexico and Haiti to serve in orphan care. In her free time, Janet loves the beach and spending time with family and friends. Together, they enjoy bike riding, traveling, adventure, and RV'ing.