Auro Hotels, a hotel property group based in Greenville, announced June 8 it teamed up with local nonprofit Mill Village Ministries to purchase, assemble and distribute bikes to 30 socio-disadvantaged children.
As part of the project, Mill Village Ministries’ nonprofit bicycle shop Village Wrench worked with community partners, Berea Elementary School and Poe Mill Achievement Center, an after-school program in Greenville, to find children to give the bikes to.
“With donations from Village Wrench, we were able to identify students who could benefit from having a donated bicycle and helmet,” said Mary McGowan, speech therapist at Berea Elementary School. “When students receive bicycles in recognition of hard work and demonstrating positive character traits, parents and students are both so incredibly proud and often moved to tears when presented with a bicycle.”
The project was funded by money raised at Auro’s General Manager and Sales Conference in May and each bike was assembled by Auro associates working with Village Wrench staff and student assistants.
