Jan Maloff receives the Community Impact Hero Award
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – For the past 25 years Jan Maloff has been refurbishing bikes and giving them back to the community, but now it’s time for the community to recognize him through the American Red Cross. On Dec. 7 Maloff received the Community Impact Hero Award after being nominated from the community.
“I said to myself, ‘I’ll make sure every child has a brand-new bike,’” said Maloff. “Owning a bike is a rite of passage.”
When Maloff was young he had his bike stolen out of his front yard, and since then has worked to make sure every child can have a bike. Maloff founded Central New York Family Bicycle Giveaway Foundation and working alongside them he has donated more than 50,000 bikes back to the community. Jan is able to exceed these numbers now with the help of more volunteers,
“He’ll do anything to make things work and he’ll find a way,” said Gina Scaia, a volunteer that works closely with Maloff. “And we found the way to make this work.”
It’s not every day that a local hero receives the recognition they deserve. Maloff has no plans to stop giving bikes back to the community.