Holiday Bike Drive 2010 a roaring success
On Sunday, December 12th, hundreds of Portland children and families, speaking 15 languages, from 38 partner agencies, made their way to Legacy Emanuel hospital to create an important life story: the story of their first bike. The Legacy atrium was glowing from all the joyful, smiling faces.
As kids and their families arrived, they took a trip down the bike safety hallway, learning the importance of wearing helmets, dressing safely, checking that their bike is in working order, and understanding safe bicycling signals. A volunteer then helped them through the next phases of the event: picking out their new helmets and bicycles.
Volunteers worked one-on-one with the children, helping to adjust their helmets in snazzy shades of purple, blue, silver, or red, for a personalized fit. Then it was time to pick out a bike! The bikes ranged from tricycles to cruisers, so that each child could pick out a dream bike. Then, professional mechanics adjusted bikes for fit, tightened all the nuts and bolts, and pumped up the tires one last time. Anxious to get on and ride, the kids stepped outside with their bikes for the bike rodeo, where they practiced their new bike safety skills. Before heading home, they posed for portraits astride their new rides.
Hundreds of volunteers worked tirelessly to bring the entire day together- it really would not have been possible without them. We are deeply grateful to everyone who helped make the 2010 Holiday Bike Drive the best yet. Thank you to the dozens of partner agencies for their year-round work supporting the amazing families we met. Thanks also to the many in-kind donors and program sponsors. The event would not have been nearly as well-supported and successful without you. We would like to especially recognize Trauma Nurses Talk Tough for donating all the helmets and Legacy Emanuel for hosting. Finally, thanks to the hundreds of children and their families who made the event such a personal experience.
One volunteer may have said it best exclaiming, “That wasn’t even volunteering! It was just too much fun to be work!”
Photos by Ben Latterell and Joel Schneier