Portland nonprofit launches emergency fundraiser to avoid closing [Video]

PORTLAND, Oregon — A Northeast Portland nonprofit is trying to raise more than a hundred thousand dollars to avoid closing its doors.

The Community Cycling Center, which provides community members with free bikes and safety education, opened in 1994. Employees of the nonprofit said if they can’t raise $115,000 to cover operating costs by Oct. 1, they won’t be able to stay open. Their shop is located on Northeast 17th and Alberta Street. 

“This is really a make-or-break situation for us,” said Brittany Morris with CCC. “It’s not just about bikes. Bikes are a vehicle for vulnerability: they get people to work and to school; they help build community and the people that we serve need that more than anyone else.”

Last week, Morris helped CCC launch an emergency fundraising campaignto raise money. She said over 30 years, the nonprofit has given away 15,000 free bikes …