PCF, sheriff donate 20 bikes to DePauw University

Representatives of Depauw University, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department and Putnamville Correctional Facility celebrate the donation of 20 bicycles to the DePauw University Center for Diversity and Inclusion. Present for the donation are (from left) Matt Aptahi, Kristina Mikhailova, Cam Lumsdon, Major Dwight Simmons, Warden Brian Smith, Sheriff Scott Stockton, Brady Moss, Cecilia Slane, Joe Garbe and Malorie Imhoff.

Courtesy photo

Putnamville Correctional Facility and Sheriff Scott Stockton recently teamed up to donate 20 bicycles to DePauw University’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion offers the bicycles through Adventure Outpost to students with no local family members or transportation to get to and from places during the year and especially during the holidays.

“I was noticing a lot of students walking around town or to and from the store so I contacted the university to see if we could do anything to help,” Stockton said. “I thought about a way to help them during the holidays or weekends, so I contacted Warden Brian Smith.”

Smith and Putnamville Correctional Facility were glad to help.

“This is a needed service that we are happy to provide for the university, especially one that contributes much to the community and the Putnamville facility” Smith said. “It is our commitment to give back and we appreciate the work of Sheriff Stockton and DePauw University.”

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion of DePauw, along with Adventure Outpost, were supplied with 20 bicycles that will now allow them to advertise to the students so they can be put to good use. Before, the organization only had 10 bikes on hand, which limited how long a student could use the bike and how many students could check one out at a time.

DePauw Director of Sustainability Malorie Imhoff praised the donation.

“This opens so many doors for us and the students. We are extremely grateful for the sheriff and Putnamville Correctional for providing us these bikes,“ she said.

“All bikes are rechecked to ensure safety before distributing to the students” Stockton said. “With how nice these bikes are, I know there will be no issues — these bikes are like brand new.”