KENNEWICK, Wash. – Bikes for Tikes came back for the day for the 15th annual bike build event on Thursday, bringing holiday cheer and over 1,000 bikes to those who might need some extra support this holiday season.
“Every kid deserves a bike growing up, you know, and if we can help make that come true for some kids, that otherwise wouldn’t happen for them,” said Andy Rodriguez, Bikes for Tikes volunteer.
Rodriguez, who has been involved with the bike build event almost every year, said the reason he keeps coming back is simple: he wants to help build bikes for children who might want one, but need help getting one.
“I just want people to know and understand the importance of giving back. I think sometimes we lose sight of the fact that we are very privileged,” he said. “When we have those opportunities to kind of pay that forward into the rest of the community, it’s very important that we take advantage of that.”
Gina Keeney, Bikes for Tikes board member, said during the holiday season, she sees an influx in food and clothing drives.
Keeney said everyone deserves to be fed and clothed, but bikes can fill people with spirit. When she looks through bike requests, she sees a variety of people who need that spirit, and the almost 700 volunteers on Thursday helped provide them with what they needed.
“I think one of the ones that really broke my heart, I was a single mom, her husband left and emptied her bank account,” Keeney said. “We’re helping these people. We’re reaching out to the most vulnerable in our community, and we’re not just providing their basic needs, we’re telling them you are worth more than just being fed, and I think that’s huge.”
While the day devoted to building was a wonderful experience for Keeney, she said there is more to Bikes for Tikes that fills her heart.
“There’s something really fulfilling about knowing that I’m sending something out into the world that I may never see the results of. I may never see the kid that gets the bike on Christmas morning, she said. “I may never see the mom who’s picked it up and she’s in tears because she’s got something. But knowing that out there somewhere is that reaction is my favorite part.”
More information on how to volunteer with Bikes for Tikes can be found on the organization’s website.
