Archive multimedia: Mission with Bikes

Mark Blum couldn't ride the hundreds of bikes in his backyard. But he did have a mission to give them all away. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1993, he was the founder of Mission With Bikes, a project he started about a decade ago.
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Mark W. Blum of Oak Park, the founder of “Mission With Bikes” which sent wheels to folks the world over, has died. He was 54.

Blum died Friday in Oak Park due to complications from multiple sclerosis, said his ex-wife, Karen Ann Blum of Agoura Hills.

He had lived for many years in Agoura Hills before deteriorating health forced him four months ago into a residential care facility, she said.

“His whole family was with him” when he passed, she said. “He was under the wonderful care of Buena Vista Hospice.”

Blum is also survived by his daughter, Robyn Lynn Blum, 23, and son, David Allen Blum, 19, both of Corona, and his mother, Betty Blum of Reseda.

Services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at Calvary Community Church, 5495 Via Rocas, Westlake Village. The services will be open to the public. Cremation is being handled by Neptune Society, said Karen Ann Blum.

Mark Warren Blum was born April 7, 1953. He was a successful insurance company executive who was forced into retirement due to fatigue after being diagnosed in 1993 with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease which affects the central nervous system.

But endowed with a work ethic and still wanting to contribute, Blum rekindled his teen-age passion of fixing bicycles to generate a new avocation. In 1996, he founded Mission With Bikes, which would see more than 3,000 bikes collected, repaired and distributed to the needy, primarily children but sometimes adults, through schools, social service organizations, the homeless and even to charitable groups to use in raffles.

At first, Blum bought bicycles and parts from area garage sales, paying for them out of his own pocket.

As word spread, he received donated bikes and parts, and he attracted volunteers who helped mend and tighten the two-wheelers. These helpers became even more important as Blum began to lose manual dexterity, eyesight and eventually all mobility to the chronic disease.

Even several months ago, Blum, then bedridden, recalled, “I’d be away from the house for a couple of hours and come back and find bikes left in my driveway. It was very satisfying to have such a cause and to see my bicycles sent to the needy in the United States, Mexico, Russia, Kenya” and beyond.

Cyclists and bike shops were among the supporters of Mission With Bikes.

To marshal support, Blum was a frequent guest and member of many groups such as the Kiwanis Club of Thousand Oaks, and Las Virgenes/Conejo Area Optimist group.

His life, many awards, and even television and radio show coverage, was recapped in the 2001 “Pedaling a Dream” mini-documentary by volunteer producer Gordon Durich of Westlake Village and videographer Lee Agnew of Thousand Oaks.

The gregarious Blum, whose sense of humor helped him deal with the ravages of the disease, said the bicycle ministry gave his life meaning.