Building bikes to help children build character
CRANBERRY TWP — Many volunteers shared memories of learning to ride a bicycle — how they fell off a few times and got back on, until they got a hang of it. They also fondly remembered that first bike.
Those volunteers Wednesday, June 25, worked to make sure children in Butler County also would be able to have that learning experience, no matter their family’s income, by assembling bicycles for the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
It was the 11th year the United Way has had its Build A Bike event, and for the volunteers who have attended in years past, assembling the bikes was just like riding them — it’s something they never forget.
“It’s somewhat intimidating at first, but when you get here and see the instructions are simple, and then there are experts here to make sure things have been done right,” said John Perock, who was in his fourth year volunteering at Build A Bike. “It’s going to impact somebody you’re never going to see, but you know darn well it’s going to be joyful for them.”
About 100 people at the event Wednesday would assemble 100 bicycles from 10 a.m. to noon at Cranberry Township Community Park, and the cycles would be distributed to children in Butler County through nine partner agencies in the county. Amy Franz, regional vice president of the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, said the agency has given bicycles to children for the past 10 years because they are more than just fun rides.
“It’s for exercise, it’s to get you outdoors, but two things that surprised me that they can connect back to bike riding is confidence and self-esteem; and emotional resilience,” Franz said. “We also know it’s good for socioemotional development and hopefully they take that into the school year to their friends and relationships.”
Each year, local businesses and organizations send teams of people to Build A Bike to help assemble bikes for the United Way over the course of a day. The United Way also had Build A Bike events on Thursday and Friday, June 26 and 27, in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties.
The bikes assembled Wednesday would be taken to the United Way’s partner agencies, which include Butler Area, Moniteau and Slippery Rock Area school districts; the Butler YMCA; and the Lighthouse Foundation, where they would be distributed to children in need. The bikes are intended for youths in elementary school.
The area around the Jaycee Shelter in the park was strewed with tarps where each team of volunteers could assemble a handful of bikes each. Each kit contained one bike in several pieces: the frame, the handlebars, tires, pedals, and screws and tools. The volunteers mainly just had to attach each piece to the frame.
Don Vigliotti, chairman of the United Way board of directors for Butler and Armstrong counties, said assembling the bikes was enjoyable, despite the sub-90 degree temperatures.
“We’re just out because this is a great cause, and it’s a fun activity,” Vigliotti said.
Franz said the United Way does its best to ensure different children receive a bike each year, because although they are assembled from kits, they “should last longer than a year.”
Over the 11 years of Build A Bike, the United Way has put “2,700 bicycles into the hands of children whose parents might not have been able to afford to have a bike,” according to Wendy Koch, senior director of regional engagement for the United Way. Koch said the volunteers and the partner agencies have been integral in getting that many bikes out to the public.
“We wouldn’t be able to do this without our partner organizations,” Koch said in a speech before the distribution of the bike-building kits.
Each team assembling bikes received a question sheet, which asked each volunteer to answer questions about their own bicycle experiences.
Koch said sending the teams’ answers to the partner agencies would help reinforce the effort the volunteers went through in assembling the bicycles. Koch said their stories could make a difference.
“We are going to share these with the agencies that are going to get the bikes so their kids know the adults who made these really care about them,” Koch said.
Perock said his team was asked if they ever taught someone else to ride a bike. Several people on his team had taught their children how to ride, which, most agreed, were important personal memories.
“You’re excited, you’re afraid for them to take some of those chances, but very proud, there’s pride in being able to help somebody be able to do something on their own,” Perock said.
Members of Vigliotti’s team were asked if they remember riding a bike, and if they were helped by anyone in their own process of trial and error. Vigliotti said he and his team members hoped their responses mirrored the future experiences of the children who would receive the bikes they put together.
“It was either our fathers or our siblings seemed to be the consensus, and people remember falling, but remember how excited they were when they learned to ride,” Vigliotti said.
Franz told the volunteers that learning to ride a bike is a process of trial and error, which teaches children resilience and more. The bike program supports the United Way’s mission of “making sure children have the skills they need in and out of the classroom to be productive citizens and to have the strength and the skill set to be successful.”
“Once you get over that fear and challenge,” Franz said, “they can get a sense of accomplishment and pride, it pushes you to your limits, taking risks and experiencing success. With emotional resilience, children learn to cope with frustration, manage their emotions and bounce back from failures.”
