Mark Your Calendars: Dream Bikes are Coming November 30th!

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, November 30th! This is the day that Dream Bikes will be available for adoption on our website. November 30th just happens to be Giving Tuesday (“a global generosity movement,” which occurs every year on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving). Adopting a Dream Bike on Giving Tuesday is one of the purest and most tangible ways you can support BBP as we prepare to give 500+ bikes at this year’s Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway.

On the list of annual traditions we look forward to year over year, Dream Bikes definitely take the cake.

A Brief History of The Dream Bike

When a child registers for the Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway, we ask them to draw a picture or write the story of their dream bike. Our team then uses these drawings and stories to create bikes that come as close as possible to the bikes from the kids’ wildest dreams. I’ll touch on this a bit later, but the Dream Bike drawing is not a requirement for registration. Any child who registers by the deadline and meets the age eligibility will be accepted for the giveaway, whether they create a Dream Bike drawing or not.

In 15 years, we’ve seen some pretty special Dream Bike creations. We see relatively common requests that match the trends of the time, like requests for Frozen bikes. Elsa and Anna have been pretty high priority for the past several years, though last year, one young rider requested an Elsa bike but gave explicit instructions that Anna should not be included (“NO ANNA! ” was underlined twice, and we used extra Elsa stickers to cover up any place Anna was visible on the bike). We see plenty of requests for bells, horns, baskets, and streamers. And then there are the more unique requests like rocket boosters, or flying bikes, or bikes with sidecars for siblings to ride along. We’re limited by the laws of physics and gravity, so we can’t honor every single request as prescribed, but we do work pretty hard to get creative. If it’s physically possible for us to do it, we do our very best.

When you personally have your hands on nearly each and every bicycle during the prep phase for the giveaway, you get pretty attached to the dream concepts. One year, a young boy’s Dream Bike drawing and story included very enthusiastic details about Nerf. And we did our best to find ways to “Nerf-out” the bike, but I just wasn’t happy with what we had available. At the 11th hour, I came across a true Nerf branded bicycle and made a last minute swap. I happened to be nearby when he received his bike at the giveaway, and while both his mother and I fought tears, he literally jumped for joy.

The bottom line is that when it comes to dreams, the details matter.

Donors like you make the details possible and the dreams come true.

Each year, hundreds of individual donors “adopt” the Dream Bikes to cover the expenses involved in creating each child’s perfect bicycle. This year will be no different! So far we’ve received about 300 registration forms, and our team is working behind the scenes to get these registration forms entered, scanned, and posted for adoption on our website. On Giving Tuesday, we’ll post what we’ve received so far; and then we’ll continuously post more Dream Bikes as they come our way.

We’ve shared in previous years that not every child is able to draw their bike or tell its story. The kids we serve often face some pretty challenging barriers, and we don’t eliminate any child from the giveaway if they aren’t able to do this part. The dream bike drawings and stories are an incredible guide for us to create the perfect bike, but they aren’t an expectation or a prerequisite.

For as many blank dream bike drawings we receive, we’ll post that exact amount for adoption on the website as well. We never question why a child doesn’t provide a Dream Bike drawing because we know that it’s just as important for them to receive a bike and the freedom and opportunity that comes along with it. The cutest/funniest/weirdest Dream Bikes always seem to go first, but if you don’t see anything that makes you laugh or smile, please go ahead and purchase a blank application. You’ll still be sponsoring the Holiday Kids Bike Experience and a very special bike for a very special child.

So, mark your calendars for next Tuesday—Giving Tuesday—and head to our online store and select your Dream Bikes. We’ll be sending out a newsletter that day with direct links to the site. We price the bikes based on the age and height of the child; it takes more time and resources to fully refurbish the bikes for the older kids. If you want to support the Giveaway but want to give more or less, you can also donate directly through our secure giving page or by mailing a check to us (1027 S Lusk Street, Boise, Idaho 83706). Every donation we receive through the end of the year will be applied to funding the Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway, unless otherwise specified by the donor.

What else is on the horizon?

Volunteer shifts for the 15th Annual Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway will be live on our website on December 1. If you want support by volunteering from now until the day before the giveaway, you can already sign up for those shifts.

We have a special HKBG Volunteer Orientation scheduled for Tuesday, November 30th at 6pm (via Zoom, so you can participate from the comfort of your own home). You can sign up for that now, or at any time prior to the start time of the meeting.

Another great way to support the Giveaway is to buy or bake treats. We ask that you follow our guidelines and sign up in advance so that we know what to expect come Giveaway day.

And we still need gently used kids bikes of all sizes. Spread the word to your networks so that we can make sure we have enough bikes for every single child who registers for the experience.

Thanks in advance for making dreams come true this year!