Second annual
by KIDS
bike-a-thon
Benefiting Sunflower House and Kansas Children's Service League.
When: May 8, 2010
11am-12:30pm
Where: Westside Family Church
8500 Woodsonia Drive
Lenexa, KS
Cost: $5 per biker (paid at check-in)
Registration: Email biker name and age to bikeforkids@gmail.com
Bring your helmet and bicycle or trike. Kids will bike to their heart's content, enjoy a carnival atmosphere including bounce houses, balloon animals, face painting, temporary tattoos and colored hairspray, meet Happy Bear, enjoy a hot dog and eat a popsicle or two!
Support child abuse awareness in our community and be a friend to a child in need - 100% of the proceeds will be split between these two amazing organizations.
Who's idea was the bike-a-thon?
In early May 2009, my five year old son asked me about orphans. We talked about the typical "orphans" that come to mind for most American families --- poor children with no parents in far away countries. Service, compassion and awareness are important values in our family, so we took the conversation further. We discussed children in our own community who have been "orphaned" emotionally (and sometimes literally) - living a life of abuse and neglect.
As we talked about parents sometimes mistreating their children, starving them, hitting them, touching them inappropriately, saying terrible things to them ... my son abruptly said, "I know what we should do, Mom! We should collect them - the kids whose parents don't treat them right. You should interview families and figure out which kids need to be protected and bring them to live with us." Knowing that bringing every abused child to live with us isn't possible, my husband and I didn't want to leave this discussion with a simple "no".
We talked as a family about ways we could help. Ultimately, we came up with the idea to have a bike-a-thon to raise funds for two of our favorite child abuse awareness, prevention, response and victims' advocacy organizations.
What were the benefits of the first bike-a-thon?
July 2009 was our first bike-a-thon. We'd expected to ride bikes around with our cousins and a handful of friends, but ended up with about 100 people in attendance! We had 25 volunteers (including 7 teenagers and 3 kids ages 2-11), 36 bikers, and 37 parents. A total of $755 was raised, but thanks to a matching program at Kansas Children's Service League, the total impact was $1,140.
I had the honor and privilege of talking with parents about how our family came to be connected with Sunflower House. I (privately) shared my story of an abusive childhood, God's saving grace, and the support groups that I now lead at our church. Westside Family Church is serious about reaching wounded men and women and providing a safe place for one to recover from the devastating effects of sexual abuse.
There were numerous conversations about the proactive steps parents can take to keep their kids safe. Sunflower House and Kansas Children's Service League each place a high priority on educating adults and making personal safety discussions as easy and natural as possible.
And there were even conversations between parents and children about how sometimes adults hurt kids. As one mom baked with her children, the kids asked questions about the purpose of this event. As their mother began talking with them about foster children and child abuse, it occurred to her that their family had had many conversations about families that struggle financially due to job loss, or families where a parent or child has lost their battle with a terrible illness, but she'd never talked with them about how sometimes parents hurt their children. When their discussions were over, her children understood that, through this bike-a-thon, we were helping to make lives a little easier for children who have struggled through some things that should never ever happen. I believe that in many households compassion grew through this event.
And 43 kids in attendance (not to mention the ones who baked for our bake sale but couldn't attend) got to see first hand just what a difference children can make! The event couldn't have been pulled off without parental assistance, but the bike-a-thon truly is for KIDS by KIDS. From ages 1 to 15, these children pulled together to meet the needs of other children. They are inspiring.
What is the dream?
Our family prays for the complete eradication of child abuse. Knowing that child abuse is an epidemic around the world, we place a huge emphasis on the need for all adults to be well-educated in child abuse prevention, recognition and response. We wholeheartedly support the efforts of Sunflower House and Kansas Children's Service League as they strive to make extremely difficult situations as bearable as possible for victims of abuse.
How can you help?
Gather your friends and come out to the bike-a-thon. Have a garage sale, bake sale or lemonade stand and donate the proceeds to Sunflower House and Kansas Children's Service League. Attend a sexual abuse prevention class and implement what you learn into your daily life. Advocate to bring these classes into your church, schools and other organizations. Talk openly with friends and family members about the importance of child abuse prevention and awareness. Volunteer. Become a foster family. The possibilities are endless!
If you decide to send a donation directly to Sunflower House or Kansas Children's Service League, we'd love to hear about it! Our children - now ages 3 and 6 - enthusiastically count and celebrate every penny raised
for KIDS by KIDS.
Thank you for caring about the kids around you!
