A year ago, sometime after dinner on a cold and windy evening, our trailer was broken into and we lost a significant portion of our equipment.
The timing couldn’t have been worse as we were already mourning the death of one of our loudest advocates, Denver Hutt, who had passed away two days earlier.
I’ll never forget standing inside the trailer at 11PM that evening with my COO, Ashley, and processing what this meant to our organization and the youth we were supposed to serve at 7AM the next morning.
Through the anger and the sadness, we decided that we had to get back in the field as quick as possible. We knew that the next morning was out of the picture because it was 11PM and we didn’t have a TV to replace the stolen one and it was going to take a day or two for replacement bicycles to arrive.
A series of events occurred over the next 24 hours that will humble our organization for eternity. Ashley and the rest of the staff had new equipment and a repaired trailer by noon the next day. We had sorted the bike situation as best as possible by late afternoon. We were ready to roll out for programs less than 24 hours after the thefts occurred.
None of that would have been possible without you. The way the community stepped up in the hours and days after the theft was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed. We had such an outpouring of support, the $3,000.00 value of the lost equipment was donated by 9AM the next morning. By the end of the week more than $15,000.00 had been donated to replace the stolen gear and help us afford some other much needed equipment. Individuals we had never met sent in touching notes, Lids Foundation, MIBOR, and Hendricks Regional Health both played significant roles in helping get us back on the road quickly.
It was in those heartbreaking moments for our organization that we saw the true love of the Indianapolis community. We understood what was possible because of the people in our world.
It’s been a wild last year, growth and momentum with more schools and new hires and lots of successes. We feel fortunate and privileged every day to wake up and get Kids Riding Bikes into schools and our community. That night one year ago could have derailed our dreams, instead, it reinforced our mission and why we do what we do.
Thank you for being part of my dream. This community is unlike any other.
Sincerely,
-Tom