KSHB 41 reporter Grant Stephens covers stories of consumer interest. Share your story idea with Grant.
—
Hundreds of kids will receive free bicycles later this month as part of a giveaway organized by the Inner City Islamic Dawah Center.
The event will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 31st Street and Benton Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri.
For Robert Shakur Lewis, the giveaway will be personal. He grew up in the neighborhood.
“The last time, we had over 300 bikes, and we still had to buy more,” Lewis said.
Lewis said the idea came from a childhood memory that never left him.
“When I came up as a child, there was a guy here in this neighborhood who grew up here, and he used to give them out. But he only gave about three, three bicycles every year,” he said. “I used to always go to that park hoping to get one ... and I never did. But I thought to myself, one of these days, I’m gonna do that, and I’m gonna do it better.”
Now, decades later, Lewis and fellow organizers will make that promise a reality, with rows of bikes ready.
“These children deserve more,” Lewis said.
Karen Slaughter, president of the Key Coalition Neighborhood Association, said the program will send a powerful message.
“That there are people who are interested in giving something to them. People who want them to have something,” Slaughter said.
There will be no strings attached. Lewis said the event is simply a chance to brighten a child’s day and create memories that last.
“We just hope that something they can always reflect on, that everything wasn’t always so terrible,” he said.
Organizers say the event will rely on donations from the community, with volunteers buying the bikes ahead of the giveaway.
The Dawah Center plans to keep the tradition going in hopes the bikes inspire joy, connection and resilience.
—
