School's out and the summer fun of riding around on a bike is a luxury not every child has. That’s why Brawn Media donated around 30 bicycles, all going to children in foster care.

“Sometimes we get kids who only come to foster care with the clothes that they have on, and that's really it. You know, so it's very common because of the nature of the situation leading to them coming into foster care, that they do not have things like a bike or just anything that would make them feel comfortable," says Troy Grant, family specialist at Together for Youth.

Grant was in the foster system himself, and now he works at Together for Youth, a foster care agency that serves every county in New York state outside of the city.

“Because I know how much something that could seem small, like a bike could mean to a kid who's transitioning into foster care," Grant said.

According to the Office of Children and Family Services, at the end of 2023, there were more than 13,000 kids in residential foster care placements.

Together for Youth is looking for more partnerships like this one, across the state.

After a long day of building, Spectrum News 1’s Tamani Wooley is picking up bikes for her two girls. She’s been foster mom since June 2020.

“What I love about my two that I have now, my 11- and my 14-year-old, is that they understand what they've been through and they understand where they are. And I think that generates a generosity and an appreciation that I'm very grateful that they have," said Wooley.

She says it takes a village when you have foster kids and without community support like this, it would have been a much harder road.

“I was so touched somebody out there would think to do this for our children because they are behind the eight ball from the start, you know, they don't feel appreciated. They feel left out because they're in foster care," Wooley said. "So when somebody does something like this and shows them a little bit of extra appreciation or love, it goes a long way with them."