by Katie Patrick
Some of my favorite childhood memories are of riding my bike to the library, Blockbuster and the nearby Quick Shop for Mountain Dew Slurpees with my sister and cousins. The independence and responsibility that my bike gave to me was pretty monumental back in the day. As these bike trips were well before cell phones and GPS monitoring, I remember going over the directions several times with my mom before being allowed to take off down North 81st Street to Adams Street in Lincoln.
Admittedly, I, like probably many of you, have an ever-growing nostalgia for those low-tech days. My cause for reminiscing over these memories from 20-some years ago is from something one of our clients recently said: “My 8-year-old has never owned a bike. This is a true gift!”
Imagine being 8 years old and receiving your first bike! Well, that is in fact what happened just last week through the “Build-A-Bike” event with FACTS Ed., a Nelnet Company and several families connected with Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska.
FACTS Ed. reached out to us a few weeks ago and asked if we could identify several families that they could not only donate bikes to, but build bikes for.
Approximately 40 team members from FACTS Ed. gathered for leadership training. Part of that training was a team-building exercise where the team members were divided into four teams, each team given the task of building a bicycle. They like to give back to the communities they serve, especially to organizations that support students and families. They contacted us to provide two boys and two girls to be the recipients of the bikes. Our staff quickly identified families enrolled in several of our different programs and we kept it a secret until that day.
On Tuesday, April 12, we gathered with those four families and FACTS Ed. teams at Courtyard Marriott for the surprise giveaway. As the children and their parents waited in the lobby, four bicycles were wheeled out by the teams who built them. All the kids (and parents) were so surprised and grateful for this gift! And for one little boy, it was the day he received his first bike ever! He will soon be creating memories of biking around his neighborhood and to school with friends.
Events like these continue to be a blessing not just for our clients and the communities we serve, but for our staff, volunteers, and donors like the FACTS Ed team as well. Our staff and volunteers are able to see and be part of the joy experienced by our clients and the same goes for our donors. By giving their time and talent—though I’m not sure bike building had previously been in their repertoire—they too were able to be part of the joy experienced by our clients.
There are so many creative ways we can serve and encounter one another. If you have any ideas or want to brainstorm ways you can help others, please give me a call at 402.327.6223. Thank you!
