RALEIGH, N.C. — Christmas came early for the third-graders at Walnut Creek Elementary School this week.
One organization had a big surprise waiting for them during a special assembly. The kids walked in thinking they were part of an essay competition where two winners would get a new bicycle. But they didn’t know the surprise that was waiting for them behind the curtain.
Ashley Deweese and Jenn Nowalk announced to the kids, “Your teachers told me that you work really hard. You were really kind. You thought really big, and you didn't make any excuses. So they have decided that everyone gets a bike.”
The tears of joy and leaps of excitement showed just how happy the kids were with their new toys.
Deweese and Nowalk are the founders of Triangle Spokes Group, and this is their favorite part.
“I think for us it's about pedaling that joy to kids that wouldn't otherwise have a bike,” Deweese said. “And the freedom that a bike gives you as a kid. We just can't imagine not giving that to as many children as we can.”
They’ve been raising money to buy bikes for families who can’t afford them for 18 years.
“It fills my cup, you know, just to see their excitement,” Nowalk said. “And they get into it, and I love how they encourage each other.”
The third-grade teachers at Walnut Creek Elementary School adjusted their curriculum to incorporate Triangle Spokes Group’s character-building book. The kids' essays focused on their dreams and goals for the future.
“We have really good kids,” assistant principal Taylor Evans said. “So it's really awesome to be able to give something to them, not just for the work that they do here, but just because they deserve the best.”
Walnut Creek is a Title I school, meaning many of the students come from lower-income households. Evans said seeing the kids’ joy brings her to tears.
“It's just a blessing that we're able to partner with an organization that's willing to provide bikes for all of our students,” Evans said.
Triangle Spokes Group also partners with Salvation Army’s Toy Shop program.
“Bikes are one of the most requested items,” Nowalk said. “But because they are more expensive, they don't get as many bike donations.”
Nowalk and Deweese do this work to help make kids' dreams come true. Triangle Spokes Group is giving out 500 bikes this year. In its 18 years as an organization it's given away more than 8,000 bikes.