Bicycle Give-Away at Bahia Elementary School in San Rafael, CA

Sixteen 4th Graders made very happy

On April 22, 2016, 16 bicycles were presented to 4th grade students at Bahia Elementary School. The excitement was palpable. The experience was humbling. This magical day was made possible through the combined efforts Corporate Visions, Inc. and the San Rafael Elks Lodge. They pulled together donations from private donors — several from Corporate Visions, Inc. which included CEO, Joe Terry and other employees, Wendy Brache in Colorado, Charlotte Kobayashi and Francisco Ramirez from the Larkspur office, plus Elks members and grant funds through the efforts of Elks Trustee Denis McNell.

One of the bicycles was donated by a “Heart of Marin” anonymous donor. Imagine CVNL’s surprise and delight to be notified that the community spirit that instills us all at the CVNL Heart of Marin Anual Awards is continues throughout the year. I was honored to represent CVNL staff and board of directors, and more importantly was privileged to be a part of enormous generosity from the community. The awards assembly held at the school’s multi-purpose room included all three 4th grade classes, staff and parents. Each child was presented with a bicycle, helmet and lock, award certificates, and most of all… love. The entire presentation was translated from English to Spanish and I was witness to glowing smiles that broke down barriers and kept the significance of the day real — everyday people care about strangers in our community. On behalf of every child who received a bicycle and those who will, I am reminded of small acts of kindness that stack up by committed philanthropic business who are committed to making our community strong.

Trips for Kids was invited to share what their program offers so kids can learn how to maintain their bicycles and work for a bicycle if they do not already have one. Riding trips were also scheduled during the summer for kids wanting to ride the trails in groups. Thank you to Corporate Visions, Inc for forging these partnerships with CVNL, Trips for Kids, the Elks, the school, and the families and children.

Story by

Molly Schmidt
CVNL Community Engagement Coordinator

In addition to the donors, Corporate Visions, Inc. would like to thank the following individuals for making sixteen 4th graders very happy: Sarah Gaidano, Program Coordinator for Bahia Elementary arranged all the logistics at the school working with teachers; Principal – Cecelia Perez; and the 4 grade teachers and students; Tony Tom of Bicycle Odyssey of Sausalito, who purchased and assembled all the bicycles; and San Rafael Elks’ Team —Denis McNell, Monica McMillan, Joe Tato and Elks Trustees and Officers for their support in coordinating necessary logistical details to make this project happen.

Teresa Kwan represented Joe Terry, Mary Christian represented Wendy Brache, Charlotte Kobayashi represented herself, and Francisco Ramirez represented himself to award 5 of the bicycle, helmets, and locks. The San Rafael Elks Lodge #1108 was represented by 6 of their officers and the 4 members who made generous monetary contributions. There were others from the Elks who helped behind the scenes (Monica McMillan, Joe Tato, Tad Inouye to name a few) who transported the bicycles, stored them, and delivered them to the school on assembly day.