We at Foster Love – Together We Rise are experts when it comes to charitable Bike Build programs. Our friends at Fourth Street Live! and the local Louisville Metro Police Department invited us out for the third annual A Kid, A Cop, A Cause event during Ali Week celebrating the life of Muhammad Ali.
Celebrating Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. The locals spend the month of June celebrating Ali’s life and embracing his six main principles to live by. In honor of Ali, the good folks of Fourth Street Live! invited the Louisville Metro Police Department to build bikes for kids in foster care under the event name A Kid, A Cop, A Cause. This is the 3rd year we all came together to help the local foster community.
The Event: A Kid, A Cop, A Cause
The event takes place at the Fourth Street Live! outdoor plaza. We arrived early to set up the bikes and boards for the team build and created an awesome track for kids to test out the new bikes and skateboards.
We are always overjoyed by the outreach from the community in Louisville. The Pizza Bar, a restaurant on Fourth Street Live!, donated pizzas and waters for all the families and volunteers.
A local hospital had volunteers come to fit the kids with helmets. They spent time with each child to ensure they understood the importance of wearing a helmet while riding.
This is one of the select events where our volunteers work directly with kids in foster care. Each volunteer was paired with a child who helped them build their bike or skateboard. Once the bikes and boards passed safety inspections, the kids hit the race track!
For some children, it was the first time they’d ever ridden a bike or skateboard. Officer Michael Jackson with Louisville Metro Police said, “So many times we think about ourselves and just this opportunity alone is another way for us to give to those that maybe may not have (enough). Just to give them that little shining moment of joy and smile.”
Event Wrap Up
Each child took their new bike or skateboard home. Kin Samuel from Childplace said, “The kids have been so excited to receive new bikes, skateboards (helmets too!) and it is like seeing little ants all over campus. They are getting the chance to just be kids…like they should be- and not deal with life- even for a little while.”
