Fifteen youth will ride in style this summer thanks to the generous team at Cummins Saskatoon volunteering their time to assemble and donate 15 new BMX bikes to EGADZ Youth Centre.
The engines and generators Cummins Saskatoon sell and service power large amounts of Saskatchewan’s key industries, such as agriculture, oil and gas, mining and construction. But the team of 22 also use their diverse skills to accelerate community building through volunteerism here in the city.
The Saskatoon team likes to highlight these skills when choosing where to volunteer their time, and Cummins’ partnership with United Way has led to numerous Day of Caring projects, providing people power and transportation for Tampon Tuesday distributions, and assembling hundreds of literacy kits for school kids throughout Saskatoon.
“Our team prefers to give back through hands on activities or highlighting our own kind of skill set,” said Tiffany Wall, a Cummins Saskatoon volunteer and team member. “All of us have different things that we can offer, and we like to get out together and work on these projects. It’s a great way to develop our team a little bit better, get out of the office and spend time together.”
Early in May, the Cummins Saskatoon team put their talents towards assembling 15 brand new BMX bikes for donation to a local organization. Wall worked with the United Way team to partner with EGADZ Youth Centre, which provides youth-directed programs and services that help young people be the best they can be. EGADZ was a natural choice, but also an impactful one.
“EGADZ stood out to our team because they have been in our community for a lot of years and they’ve been doing a lot of good work with our youth,” said Wall. “They do make a huge impact on these youths’ lives and we just thought that it would be most impactful for them to get this donation.”
Besides a bustling drop-in centre, the community-based organization offers a wide variety of residential programs, outreach, education, day and school supports, and employment opportunities to help ensure everyone in the community has an opportunity to reach their full potential.
“Everybody deserves a new bike and some of these kids don’t have that opportunity,” said Wall.
Having a bike during the warmer months is a gift of autonomy and mobility. The team at Cummins Saskatoon were happy to be able to offer EGADZ youth the chance to be a kid and enjoy the summer months.
Haley Roach, a volunteer from the Cummins Saskatoon team, also notes many of these kids have grown up fast and maybe haven’t always had a chance to be a kid. Getting a new bike could spark a bit of that youthful excitement, offering “kids a chance to be kids.”
EGADZ’s executive director, Don Meikle, thanked the Cummins Saskatoon team and says the bikes will be distributed to youth through an application process.
“I want to thank the Cummins staff for working through their breaks to assemble and deliver the bikes,” said Meikle. “Applicants will express how they are working to improve their lives and how having a bike will assist them in reaching their goals.”
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