Morristown boys go ‘off road’ to raise money for Kids2Kids
So what did you accomplish during COVID this summer? If you want to be impressed by a group of teenage boys–check this out!
Owen Genrich, Kiernan Myers, David Stephens, Dylan Kratochvil and Luca Hadley love challenging bike rides. The group decided to research a multi-day biking route, plan their daily distance, reserve key camping locations and coax Owen’s dad Greg to come along with supplies! The boys wound up biking a total of 154 miles mainly on trails; camping 3 nights and biking for 4 days! Once they decided on the trip, they figured ‘why not raise money while we are doing something we were going to do anyway!’–that’s when the boys decided to fundraise for Kids2Kids.
Kids2Kids is a Morristown based volunteer organization for kids run by kids. This non-profit organization has a mission to develop lifelong skills of special needs children through inspiring leadership of young adult mentors. All programming, which includes swimming, Tae KwonDo, yoga, basketball, art, drama and golf, are grounded in basic skill development and incredible peer relationships. The underserved special needs community usually has a difficult time finding the right program and right price for their child to just participate in an activity. With fundraising efforts like this multi-day bike ride, K2K programs are offered at low to minimal costs for special needs families.
Owen Genrich has been an active mentor with the K2K program so the thought process was natural. “I have been involved with K2K’s mentoring program and knew additional money would be beneficial.”
Mackenzie May, a founding member of K2K and a key mentor involved at the grassroots level to our current programming, had great reflection on the boys’ interest to fundraise: “This is a wonderful example of how our mentors are so passionate about K2K’s mission and going above and beyond to support our kids. After 15 years in operation, it is inspiring to see our efforts continue to grow and further develop our community. I want to thank these mentors on behalf of Kids2Kids for their continued dedication and above and beyond commitment.” Mackenzie is pictured here receiving the boy’s generous donation.
The boys set out on their first day and accomplished a 50 mile ride. There were long uphills, heat, wind, rain, sand, loud frogs at campsites, 5 flat tires and broken wheels to contend with. Traveling thru the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, the boys rode near a military base testing explosives that caught them by surprise but would then pass giselle’s and other wildlife along their ride. Luca lead the group for 3 days on his road bike allowing the rest of the group to follow in a nice pocket, easing a bit of the ride. Until the the last day when Luca could not ride and the boys survived 52 miles on their own.
“All in all it was a great trip. Of course we learned a lot along the way”, Dylan summarized. “We definitely will plan another outing”, added Kieran. David explained that the group of them are entering their senior year at Morristown High and certainly have plenty to discuss on their upcoming college essays.
In total, the boys raised $2050 for K2K from donations made mostly by relatives and other local organizations. Better yet, there’s a group of very proud parents and accomplished young men that not only created some fun memories but are also enjoying philanthropic satisfaction. If you are interested in learning more about K2K programming or becoming a teen mentor, please visit our website at www.kidstokids.us
