by Noella Noelophile®
(Royalty-free image by Public Domain Pictures, from Pixabay.)
Ordinarily, this would be an “Almost-the-Fourth-of-July!” post.
And I’d use it to remind you that Long Beach “Chief Inspiration Officer” Justin Rudd will be hosting the 21st edition of his “Great American Kids’ Bike Parade” this Friday, July 4th.
I’ll still do that–in a bit.
But first, let’s talk about July 5th.
That’s the date, according to his Facebook post, that Justin’s 9-person Service Team leaves for rural Kenya, on a 10-day trip.
(Royalty-free image by Josh Y from Pixabay.)
Justin posts that this is his tenth trip to Africa. The goal: to help provide a better life for AIDS orphans and vulnerable families.
He has a “wish list” posted, and if you’d like to help, he’d welcome your donations. Here is a link with more information.
(Royalty-free image by Pexels from Pixabay.)
Giving goals
At a minimum, Justin says, he’d like to raise $500 towards providing 50 laying hens, and $750 towards shoes.
The hens will provide families with eggs to eat–and to sell, to help them make a living. Black leather school shoes, at $25 a pair, are something which many Kenyan schoolchildren lack.
In addition, Justin would like to raise sufficient funds to help pay for new houses, food packages, school textbooks, beds, and bicycles.
The latter aren’t toys, but transportation–for students to get to schools that are many miles away.
(Royalty-free image by Gordon Turibamwe from Pixabay.)
And if you’re in a position to give, but have no preference for which of these your donation is used, the funds will go towards the greatest needs.
Typing this, all I can think is: how much we take for granted. Maybe you don’t, but as a child growing up in New York, I certainly did.
Safe journey to Justin and his team, as they make a difference!
And now, as promised…the bike parade.
Great American Kids’ Bike Parade, 2015.
Celebrating our nation
Free to enter, and open to all ages, the Great American Kids’ Bike Parade happens on Friday morning, at the Granada Avenue Launch Ramp in Long Beach.
Participants are asked to register onsite at 9:30 am. In lieu of an entry fee, please bring nonperishable food items to donate to agencies serving the homeless in our community: canned tuna, pasta noodles, breakfast cereal or peanut butter.
Then, at 10:00, after the singing of our National Anthem, everyone takes to the red carpet, and the bike path, for a 2-mile ride along the beach.
All kids must, by law, wear bike helmets and be escorted by a parent, and please, no motor-driven cycles. (If you don’t want to ride but would like to see the parade, spectators are welcome!)
And think festive: Justin and his 501c3 nonprofit Community Action Team members want to see some decorated bikes! After the parade, the judges will award $10 cash prizes to the top ten young creators who deck out their bikes in red, white and blue.
There’s also one more chance for young participants to be creative.
As the parade concludes and everyone congregates at the concrete boat launch ramp for judging, there will also be a kids’ patriotic speeches and poems contest, at 10:30. While I don’t see a limit on length (I’ll check), in the past, the maximum length of these has been 90 seconds.
Happy Fourth of July as we celebrate the land of the free–and the home of the compassionate community.