STANDARDS

CCSS: 7.NS.A.3, MP3, MP8

TEKS: 7.13C

Dom Fixes Bikes

Scholastic MATH spoke with 16-year-old Dom Pecora from Malvern, Pennsylvania, about repairing, buying, and donating bikes

Ahmed Photography (All Images)

Dom Pecora learned how to fix bikes by watching YouTube videos.

Scholastic: In 2023 you started a nonprofit to fix and give away bikes. Why did you start it?
Dom: I kept breaking my mountain bikes by riding them too aggressively. So I had to learn how to fix them. I told my mom I wanted a new bike that could handle the riding I did, but it cost $3,000. She said she would help me raise the money, so I told all the neighborhood kids I could fix their bikes and they could pay what they wanted. After a couple of months, I had enough to buy my bike. Once I got it, I just kept fixing bikes because I enjoyed it. At the end of the year,
I had around $2,000 saved up, so my mom and I bought new bikes for kids who didn’t have them. Two years later, we took the next step and founded a nonprofit: Dom Fixes Bikes.

Scholastic: How do you get the bikes to fix up?
Dom: Throughout the year, people donate them. At first, we posted on Facebook. Now we take donations through our website. When we get a bike in, we’ll tune it up and either sell it or donate it. We donate bikes to local Pennsylvanians as well as people in West Africa. We use money from sales to buy brand-new bikes to give to people in need over the holidays.

Scholastic: What math do you use to run your business?
Dom: In 2023, we moved into a storefront and hired two mechanics. We’re more like a small business with a budget of income and expenses. We also do fundraising events to buy new bikes for people who apply for them over the holidays. We strive to give away 100 repaired bikes a year, but it’s grown closer to 150 the past two years!

Scholastic: What about bikes made you want to form a nonprofit?
Dom: For me, biking has been a way to have freedom and clear my head. Even when I started working on bikes, I’d get frustrated and go for a bike ride. Then I would come back, and the problem would seem to solve itself. A bike is a super useful tool for everyone to have. Our mission is to provide a bike to anyone who’s passionate about riding, regardless of age, race, gender, or financial ability.

Scholastic: What advice do you have for kids who want to start a business like yours?
Dom: Never stop learning, whether it’s a new sport, activity, or something else. Also, chase your dreams and never quit. There have been so many times I’ve been inches from stopping and quitting and throwing a tool across the room. Just keep going and persevering through all the rough times, the good will naturally come.

INCOME AND EXPENSES

Dom Fixes Bikes is a nonprofit, which is a type of business whose purpose in not making a profit. After subtracting expenses, many nonprofits—like Dom’s—spend a portion of the profit they earn to help their community. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

Artwork by Davi Augusto

Adult Bike $250 (left); Teen Bike $100 (middle); Toddler Bike $75 (right)

A. The first year running his nonprofit, Dom raised $1,500 to buy new bikes to give away. Each adult bike is $250. How many could he buy with the amount raised?


B. Each teen bike is $100. How many could he buy with the amount raised?


C. Each toddler bike is $75. How many could he buy with the amount raised?


Dom sells each bike he fixes up for $20 to $125. He sells 3 bikes: 1 for $40 and 2 for $125. How much did the nonprofit earn?


Last year, Dom gave away at least 150 bikes. On average, each bike needs $25 in new parts. How much money would he have to earn through donations and fundraising to repair them all?

Skills Sheets (5)
Skills Sheets (5)
Skills Sheets (5)
Skills Sheets (5)
Skills Sheets (5)
Games (1)
Lesson Plan (1)
Article (1)
Text-to-Speech