How Much Joy Can a Bike Bring To A Child in Need? Ask Dan Austin, Founder of 88 Bikes.

In 2006, Dan Austin and his brother spent two weeks in Cambodia working at a children’s hospital. During that trip, they took a bike ride through the countryside. Then, after they rode, they planned to donate their bikes to the local orphanage. They thought this act of kindness would make a great ending to their Cambodian trip.

But after they met the 88 children at the orphanage, they realized their two bikes would not be enough. That’s when they decided that the right thing to do would be to get ALL the kids bikes, one way or another.

Check out this video that highlights Dan and his charity.

To start, they asked friends and family to donate money so they could get bikes for all the kids. Pure joy was on the kids’ faces the day the bikes arrived. That told them they were really onto something life-changing. And so, they went on to create the charity 88Bikes, which provides bikes for needy kids all over the world.

Inspiremykids was honored to speak with Dan Austin recently to learn more about 88Bikes. We discussed several schools in the United States that have raised money to donate bikes to this great cause.

Additional Resources:

• Here is an article about 88Bikes to check out!
• Here is the website for 88Bikes.

Topics for Discussion:

• How would it feel to be an orphan in an orphanage? What would you miss most about your current life?
• Why do you think bikes would bring so much joy to these children?

Take Action:

• How could you raise money to donate to this worthy charity?
• Dan’s love for travel and adventure started with day trips to Yellowstone Park with his family. What kind of adventures can you do with your family?

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.