Dublin Students and Rotary Club Partner to Build Bicycles for Needy Children

DUBLIN, CA–While there weren’t any reindeer sightings and no snow visible on the ground, there was a bit of holiday magic occurring on the campus of Valley High School on Thursday. For an afternoon, the Rotary Club of Dublin joined forces with students at VHS in an effort to brighten Christmas for a number of deserving local students.

In its second year, the annual “Bike Build” occurred at both Valley and Dublin High School. The mission is to acquire and assemble bikes for some in our community that could truly benefit from this generous program.

Dublin Rotarian Ron Mazur explained to us that this idea was not originated locally. Instead, in the spirit of cooperation, the concept was shared by another Rotary chapter in Visalia. This program in southern CA had existed for many years and they had successfully donated hundreds of bikes to deserving families. As the bicycles are manufactured in China by Micargi, they are shipped to the U.S. via a port near Los Angeles. So, the only challenge was to have them transported up north. And, in another gesture of corporate responsibility, Micargi continues to provide these donated rides at manufacturer’s cost.

For almost three hours, Valley High School students paired up with Rotarians and school staff to create an assembly line. As this represented the second year of the program, it represented a much more efficient process. But once assembled, who could properly vouch for the completeness and safety of the bikes? Enter Paul Grasseschi.

Paul is the Campus Supervisor at Del Valle High School in Livermore. Like Valley, Del Valle is also a continuation high school. In addition to his daily duties over the past nine years, Mr. Grasseschi also pioneered a program which would provide students with a hands-on environment to rehabilitate bicycles. While it may be impossible to accurately estimate, it is safe to say that he has assisted in the re-birth of hundreds of bicycles over the years.

Before they were stored away, Paul had his hands on every bike – ensuring a secure fit, verified operation and properly inflated tires.

It was simply an environment that was inspiring. Students and community leaders joined forces to ensure a brighter holiday for so many children. Dublin Unified School District elementary schools were notified of this effort and Counselors were encouraged to identify students that may truly benefit from this act of generosity. On Friday, December 16th, those students have been invited to Valley High School to receive their holiday surprise. OneDublin.org would like to commend Dublin Rotary and the students at both Valley and Dublin High School for their active participation in this very worthwhile endeavor.

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