Make a Difference: Working Bikes
Donation protected
----- FINAL UPDATE: From cash donations and gofundme, our goal was reached! Thanks to the aid and spirit of others, we were able to send a shipment of over 400 bicycles to children in Lesotho, South Africa with over $3,000 raised. Thank you!
My name is Stefania Lugli, a high school student in Cape Coral, Florida, striving to make a difference in the global community with my two partners.
Currently, we are in partnership with Working Bikes Cooperative, a wonderful nonprofit in Chicago that repairs old bicycles for new ownership, who is transforming our 20-page outline for a make-believe competition into a stroke of pure humanity in reality. Our contact was originally set by us reaching out to multiple nonprofits willing to develop a relationship with us and accept our donations. Jean, a volunteer at Working Bikes, has been in constant correspondnce with us over email. Working Bikes’ focus is on sending bikes to rural communities in Africa and Latin America in two ways: in donations, repairing old bikes, or reselling at low costs.
We are members of our school's Model United Nations, an international debate team, where (somewhat) recently we won first place from the Naples Council on World Affairs for detailing a plan in regards to the Syrian refugee crisis: purchasing and shipping bicycles to a refugee camp in Jordan currently housing over thirty thousand people, enabling them to access school, lending ease of transportation, and providing a cheap and efficient method towards avoiding staggering desert heat. While born theoretical, the three of us, Daniela, Javier, and Stefania, decided to manifest this as close to reality as possible.
To launch our program, we are focusing heavily on fundraising, such as organizing a walk/bike-a-thon in Cape Coral, FL to collect donations towards a non-profit that would pay and ship bicycles to refugee camps. However, we ran into a problem. While our original plan was dedicated towards Syrian refugees and their relief, we found that no organization was able to ship equipment to Middle Eastern nations, due to the fact that bike repair shops would be built and the region was too insecure to send volunteer to fulfill those positions.
We are ecstatic at the glowing opportunity at our feet to provide relief towards those who are suffering from economic instability or inability to transport sufficiently. We are overwhelmingly passionate for the well-being and security of those less fortunate, particularly with children who one day could reconstruct their home country (an idea made possible with the transport access to education). Hours upon hours have been devoted towards researching the lives, values, troubles, and weight carried on the global community.
We have inspired forty committed International Baccalaureate (IB) students to collect donations for our cause.The main event of the project is our “Make a Difference Bike/walk-a-thon” scheduled for December 10th at Cape Coral High School. The date of our event will sit on one of the founders’ birthday, and as painfully cliche it is, she adores the fact that the celebration of her service project shares her turn into adulthood. Our goal is to raise $2,000 to directly donate to Working Bikes. We have gained support from various local businesses and the Naples Council on World Affairs, which facilitated the original Model UN Syrian Refugee competition.
The funds from this Gofundme, including extraneous cash/check donations, will be spent towards a shipment of over 500 bicycles to the country of Lesotho. The funds will be withdrawn personally by me, Stefania Lugli, and later sent by check in the mail to Working Bikes, per their wishes.
At this moment, we have graphic designs for t-shirts compiled. We are in cooperation with our local chapter of the Rotary Club to raise donations. Local businesses are working with us. Working Bikes confirmed our donation will go towards communities in Lesotho, a nation in South Africa.
We are so excited that this project has been officially launched to the public, and are hoping for our passion to ignite a similar one in those willing to help. This project is an invaluable, incredible, and humbling opportunity to leave a small but significant impact on those being delayed of their human rights because of the lack financial resources or various government priorities. We await the success of empathy to come. We await another victory for kindness.
My name is Stefania Lugli, a high school student in Cape Coral, Florida, striving to make a difference in the global community with my two partners.
Currently, we are in partnership with Working Bikes Cooperative, a wonderful nonprofit in Chicago that repairs old bicycles for new ownership, who is transforming our 20-page outline for a make-believe competition into a stroke of pure humanity in reality. Our contact was originally set by us reaching out to multiple nonprofits willing to develop a relationship with us and accept our donations. Jean, a volunteer at Working Bikes, has been in constant correspondnce with us over email. Working Bikes’ focus is on sending bikes to rural communities in Africa and Latin America in two ways: in donations, repairing old bikes, or reselling at low costs.
We are members of our school's Model United Nations, an international debate team, where (somewhat) recently we won first place from the Naples Council on World Affairs for detailing a plan in regards to the Syrian refugee crisis: purchasing and shipping bicycles to a refugee camp in Jordan currently housing over thirty thousand people, enabling them to access school, lending ease of transportation, and providing a cheap and efficient method towards avoiding staggering desert heat. While born theoretical, the three of us, Daniela, Javier, and Stefania, decided to manifest this as close to reality as possible.
To launch our program, we are focusing heavily on fundraising, such as organizing a walk/bike-a-thon in Cape Coral, FL to collect donations towards a non-profit that would pay and ship bicycles to refugee camps. However, we ran into a problem. While our original plan was dedicated towards Syrian refugees and their relief, we found that no organization was able to ship equipment to Middle Eastern nations, due to the fact that bike repair shops would be built and the region was too insecure to send volunteer to fulfill those positions.
We are ecstatic at the glowing opportunity at our feet to provide relief towards those who are suffering from economic instability or inability to transport sufficiently. We are overwhelmingly passionate for the well-being and security of those less fortunate, particularly with children who one day could reconstruct their home country (an idea made possible with the transport access to education). Hours upon hours have been devoted towards researching the lives, values, troubles, and weight carried on the global community.
We have inspired forty committed International Baccalaureate (IB) students to collect donations for our cause.The main event of the project is our “Make a Difference Bike/walk-a-thon” scheduled for December 10th at Cape Coral High School. The date of our event will sit on one of the founders’ birthday, and as painfully cliche it is, she adores the fact that the celebration of her service project shares her turn into adulthood. Our goal is to raise $2,000 to directly donate to Working Bikes. We have gained support from various local businesses and the Naples Council on World Affairs, which facilitated the original Model UN Syrian Refugee competition.
The funds from this Gofundme, including extraneous cash/check donations, will be spent towards a shipment of over 500 bicycles to the country of Lesotho. The funds will be withdrawn personally by me, Stefania Lugli, and later sent by check in the mail to Working Bikes, per their wishes.
At this moment, we have graphic designs for t-shirts compiled. We are in cooperation with our local chapter of the Rotary Club to raise donations. Local businesses are working with us. Working Bikes confirmed our donation will go towards communities in Lesotho, a nation in South Africa.
We are so excited that this project has been officially launched to the public, and are hoping for our passion to ignite a similar one in those willing to help. This project is an invaluable, incredible, and humbling opportunity to leave a small but significant impact on those being delayed of their human rights because of the lack financial resources or various government priorities. We await the success of empathy to come. We await another victory for kindness.
Organizer
Stefania Lugli
Organizer
Cape Coral, FL