Nilfisk-Advance employees are
joining together this holiday season to do their part in supporting the
surrounding community. Working together with Interfaith
Outreach and Community Partners (IOCP), we found a well-deserving
family—with seven kids under the age of 14—who just needed a little extra help
to make their holiday wishes come true. Each child requested a specific gift
that Nilfisk-Advance employees then had the opportunity to purchase or contribute
towards. The gifts poured in quickly—but one gift request in particular led to
an even bigger opportunity.
One
child had requested a bicycle, and Nilfisk-Advance employee Dave Wood had an
idea. As founder and member of the Board of Directors of Free Bikes for Kids (FB4K)—a non-profit
organization that refurbishes bikes and donates them to other non-profits in Minneapolis—Dave was able to lead a group of volunteers to spend time cleaning and repairing some bikes to donate to the adopted family.
Dave was quoted as saying, “How cool is it that a bike from an organization that I helped start will be going to IOPC, which in turn will be given to the family that the company I work for is adopting.” And one previous FB4K volunteer reported, “There was this little 4 year old sweetheart who got her first bike and looked up at me with big brown eyes and asked, ‘Are you an angel?’ (…) And that's why I love being a FB4K volunteer.”