South Carolina teacher raises enough money to buy every student at her school a bike

(Image credit: iStock)

published 4 April 2017

In North Charleston, South Carolina, there are now 650 proud new bike owners.

Last year, Katie Blomquist, a first grade teacher at Pepperhill Elementary School, was talking with a student who told her he would love to have a bike of his own. She wanted to help him with his dream, and knew that because her school serves many low-income families, he wasn't the only student who couldn't afford a bike. That's when Blomquist decided to set up a GoFundMe in order to raise enough money to purchase a bike for every Pepperhill student. "It's the basic childhood right," she told ABC News 4. "It's joy. Every single child deserves that, and a bike is one of the top things that represents that."

North Charleston residents began giving to the fund, and word soon spread around the world, with donations coming in from Australia, France, and Hollywood (courtesy of Steve Harvey). After three months, Blomquist raised $80,000, and a store in town, Afford-A-Bike, helped her out by designing and putting together the bikes. Last week, the bikes, helmets, and locks were finally delivered to the surprised — and ecstatic — students. "It's a very late Christmas gift, early summer gift now," she said. "This is a chance for them to truly own something of value."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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