Overview:

Gretheline Bolandrina and her husband, Joseph, of Athol, have successfully donated 55 used bicycles to Bikes for the World, a nonprofit that distributes bikes to people in need. The couple's "Bikes for Change" effort began when they visited O'Neil's Bicycle Shop and learned that the retiring owners had a large number of used bicycles in storage. The Athol couple hopes to continue similar efforts locally.

ATHOL – Following the successful delivery of 55 donated bikes to a nonprofit in Maryland in February, an Athol couple hopes to continue the effort down the road.

Gretheline Bolandrina and her husband, Joseph, completed the trip to Rockville, Maryland, where the bicycles were turned over to Bikes for the World as part of their “Bikes for Change” effort. The couple has supported Bikes for the Philippines and Bikes for the World since 2012.

The idea began during a stop at a diner next to O’Neil’s Bicycle Shop in Gardner.

“Joe and I were having breakfast at the diner next to O’Neil’s Bicycle Shop, when he mentioned that I should meet the owners, Bruce and Mary,” Gretheline Bolandrina said. “It was all spontaneous.”

During the visit, the shop’s owners said they had a large number of used bicycles in storage that needed a new home.

“The opportunity felt like a ‘double dose’ of serendipity,” she said. “When we met the retiring owners of O’Neil’s and saw all the used bicycles needing a new purpose, it aligned perfectly with the mission of transforming secondhand bikes into tools for mobility and hope.”

The couple began preparing the bikes for transport in early February. The trip presented challenges, particularly when traveling in their U-Haul through New York.

“The biggest hurdle was navigating New York’s low-clearance parkways,” Gretheline Bolandrina said. “We had to scramble for ‘Plan B’ routes several times to avoid ‘No Trucks’ restricted areas, which added hours to our transit time.”

Despite the delays, the couple delivered 55 bicycles to Rockville on Feb. 13.

A highlight of the trip came upon arrival, when they were recognized for their years of support and received an Official Bikes for the World 2005-2025 Commemorative Coin, which they plan to pass down to their grandson.

The donation of the bikes was supported by the Bay Path Practical Nursing Academy community and others in the region, where Gretheline Bolandrina served as academy director before retiring in 2025. She said faculty, alumni and friends helped raise funds to rent the U-Haul, including through a birthday fundraiser at Kuru Kuru Ramen in Worcester.

“The mission was a collective effort of Bayanihan,” Gretheline Bolandrina said, referring to the foundational Filipino custom representing communal unity.

“Joe describes it best as ‘these bicycles equal tools for independence,’” she added

She said the bikes can help students travel to school, support small business owners transporting goods to markets and provide affordable transportation for workers.

The couple, who moved to Athol in the fall of 2024, said they hope to continue similar efforts locally. She pointed to recent volunteer efforts, including helping provide food during a community “Soup Sunday” event and assisting with mobile food distribution efforts in Orange.

“I retired in October 2025 from academic work, but it was not the end to service,” Gretheline Bolandrina said. “My career in nursing education was rooted in healing and helping, this mission allowed me to trade the confines of an office for the open road.”