A first grade teacher from the Pepperhill Elementary School in South Carolina is planning to make Christmas memorable for 650 students. Katie Blomquist has set up a fundraiser that will allow her to buy bicycles to give to the students, citing that every child deserves to own a bike.
Katie Blomquist's fundraiser for bicycles for Christmas was set up at GoFundMe. She mentions that many of the children at her elementary school belongs to low income, high poverty communities. Thus, their families are unable to afford a bike.
The teacher related that she was inspired by the idea of setting up the bicycles for Christmas fund after having a student who didn't get much support from home to pour into his school work. "I took it as a goal to myself from day one that I really wanted to get him motivated," Katie Blomquist said and decided to give him a bicycle for his birthday, CBS News reports.
From there, she thought of her other students in a similar situation. "All the kids in the school [who] could really benefit from having a bike," she told the news outlet. After carefully assessing the situation, the teacher realized that some of the kids in school have actually never ridden bicycles before and that has robbed them of so many experiences to explore.
The fundraiser for bicycles for Christmas is aiming to reach $65,000 and as of press time, it is almost halfway towards its goal. Katie Blomquist hopes that this will be completed by December. The teacher's initiative was lauded by the Charleston County School District.
Bike Citizens enumerates the many benefits to bike riding. Studies have shown that the activity helps to clear the mind and improve cognition. It allows the children to be more attentive and interested in school work.
What do you think of Katie Blomquist's bicycle for Christmas fundraiser for her students? Let us know you thoughts in the comments!
