A group of Christmas elves flew into Akron a bit early to set up shop in downtown Akron. The clanking of wrenches and the ding of bells resonated like holiday carols, as a group of volunteers assembled bicycles that will be distributed to children in need throughout Greater Akron.
Elves & More of Northeast Ohio delivers approximately 1,000 bicycles to local children. The nonprofit’s goal is for every child in town to receive a gift at Christmas time. “And that gift is primarily bicycles,” said Brian Miner, one of the group’s co-founders.
The bicycle also is a symbolic gift to help underprivileged children connect with mentors and embark on a positive path. “What can they do with that bicycle? How can they can get connected to something larger than they may see every day in their neighborhood?” Miner asked.
“This whole program sort of snowballed,” said Tim House, co-founder of the project. “We started off six years ago with the idea that we were going to buy a whole lot of bikes, build them and give them away. We asked friends and family to help us achieve that, and before you know it, they started bringing friends, and they started bringing friends.”
Although it’s a “fortunate place to be in,” said House, it’s unfortunate that they do have to say no, due to limited resources. Elves & More is a true grassroots effort, from the volunteers and donated warehouse space and trucking, even down to the founders, who volunteer their time for the project.
“We’d love to be able to buy more bikes and utilize more volunteers,” House added.
The bicycles are purchased directly through Huffy, and the funds are raised from the founders’ hitting the pavement, along with foundation grants. Individual donors are asked not only to help purchase bicycles, but also to help build or deliver that bicycle.
“There’s no other organization where you can really follow your contribution through from start to finish,” said Miner.
The bicycles will be delivered Dec. 18 throughout Akron.
For more information, email or visit www.elvesandmoreneo.org.
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