The joy of being a kid and being presented with your first bicycle is unmatched. New opportunities appear before you as you gain a new level of independence. Yet many children are unable to experience that joy. A group from C2 Imaging, our parent company, Vomela, and 3M recently took part in a team building experience to help change that reality for a group of students associated with the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities. The result of their efforts was a generous donation of 6 bicycles, helmets, and locks to deserving students in the local community. The event took place on May 10, 2018, in 3M’s Carlton Science Center in Maplewood, MN.
Vomela/3M Operations Conference attendees selected a “Bike Build for Charity” program facilitated by Impact 4 Good, LLC, a company that runs socially conscious team building programs. Working in teams, participants first competed in a bike-themed trivia challenge activity that earned them the materials needed to build bicycles. After participating in the challenges, teams then started building their bikes. Teams also hand-wrote a special “message of encouragement” to accompany each bike! Attendees were given a joyful surprise at the end of the event, as the group of children receiving these bikes came in to receive their brand new bike in person!
Megan Collins, a representative from the Y, graciously thanked the group in person for their time and effort in putting together this gracious donation. Kate Whitby, Senior Program Director at the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities, later added, “I cannot thank you enough for the generosity that you shared with our teens last week through the donation of the six bikes to our YMCA program participants. These more than deserving students are each thrilled to have a brand new bike as well as all of the accessories and safety equipment. I also want to thank you for the warm welcome that you gave each of our students. They had great feedback on the experience and I know it was special for them to be invited into such a vibrant global corporation right in our own backyard.”