600+ Kids and Families, 150+ Volunteers, 1,000s of Community Supporters, and ONE Incredible Day — the Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway!
Saturday was an incredible day. A day that will fondly live in the memories of people for the rest of their lives. A day during which people of all walks of life were able to gather and join together in order to ensure that 634 of kids and families were able to get their dream bikes, with 117 additional bikes given away day of.
So many cute moments, happy kids and joyful interactions. Kids who had no idea today was the day they'd get their first bicycle! Kids who can't wait to race their brothers and sisters. Kids for whom a bicycle was a dream and was now a reality.
But it’s not just about the bikes. It’s also about the gracious and wonderful community that assembled on Lusk Street. Where else in Boise will you see so many walks of life come together in support of others? We’re talking bike nuts, elected officials, working parents, people who are currently incarcerated, students, people from the refugee community, retirees, activists, and so many more incredible human beings. When we talk about a radically inclusive event, this is what we mean.
We’ve talked a bit this December about how 634 kids is our largest event yet, but what’s truly important is that for each one of those kids, there’s a lived experience where a bicycle will make a pivotal impact in their lives. And this Saturday kids got bikes who will ride them to opportunities that we can't begin to imagine.
What’s also true is that for every single one of those 634 kids, there are dozens if not hundreds of people who showed up to make that impact possible - bike adoptions, phone calls to homes, referring kids, wrenching on bikes, baking cookies, interpreting languages and every other way you can imagine!
This is exactly why we celebrate the Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway so loudly - for the impact that a bicycle can make, and also for the impact that we can make when we join together in unity and community!!
We'd like to offer a truly heartfelt thank you to every kid who drew a dreambike, to every parent who made it happen to get their family to the event, to every volunteer who showed up again and again, and to every community supporter who adopted a dreambike, told someone about our mission or shared what we do.
We truly appreciate you and are thankful for our growing Boise community! As Boise grows, so does our capacity to serve. We can't wait to see what our 19th HKBG holds!
With gratitude,
Devin McComas
