Chartwell Kids Build Bikes for Charity, Learn Life Skills

The Chartwell Golf & Country Club clubhouse was busier than Santa’s workshop on November 24, when 80 members of the Chartwell Young Leaders (CYL) were busy assembling bikes to be donated to children in need.

CYL was established in 2016 for junior club members, ages 9–18, to promote leadership, charity, friendship, loyalty and lifelong memories through meetings, outings and events. The group’s latest member community service endeavor was a Build-A-Bike event, sponsored by a national events company.

To participate, organizations like CYL must first fundraise enough money to purchase unassembled bikes, which they did through the sale of pickleball sets and logo cups. On the day of the event, teams must work together to solve puzzles, earn bike pieces, and together assemble bikes to be given away to local charities.

Eighty CYL members formed 10 eight-person teams. Each team came up with their team’s name, logo and cheer, then was given eight puzzles to solve. Some puzzles required teams to seek input from other teams. When a team solved a puzzle, the answer was checked by a judge who determined if a bike component had been earned. When the eight bike pieces were earned by successfully solving the puzzles, the teams raced to build their bike.

The friendly competition required the all-kid teams to meet and work with new people, learn creative ways to solve problems, and to ask for help from those around them.

Three of the eight completed bikes were donated to Special Olympics Maryland, which had members on hand to talk to the kids about Special Olympics and how the bikes will help other kids just like them. Two bikes will be donated to a toy drive for Springhill Lake Elementary School in Greenbelt, Maryland, while the remaining three bikes will be donated to organizations voted on and approved by the CYL.

Hunter Flynn, a 13-year-old board of directors member, is passionate about the Chartwell Young Leaders group and the charity work members are able to accomplish.

“We do several events a year, from small to large. Each one is fun, and I instantly feel pride and appreciation for making a difference in the world around me,” Flynn said. “This event brought me closer together with my teammates and friends and I learned a lot about Special Olympics Maryland. I hope to volunteer more with them.”

The Build-A-Bike event is just one of many events in which the CYL participates. Other events include the Rise Against Hunger food packing event, where 40 CYL volunteers packed more than 10,000 meals in two hours; Ronald McDonald dinners; color runs; and more. Events organized by the CYL this year included a college fair, run by the education committee, and a March Madness watch party run by the social committee. Looking ahead, the kids are excited about an upcoming cooking class run by their diversity and inclusion committee, where the children will learn how to make sushi and learn about Japanese culture.

Logan Jones, a 17-year-old who serves as board of directors president, encourages more kids to perform charity work and be more socially responsible.

“More kids should get involved in giving back because it teaches many important life skills such as teamwork and hard work, and it opens their eyes to see that not everyone is as fortunate as they are,” Jones said. “Giving back helps to improve the community and gives you a sense of pride and accomplishment.”

Ryleigh Connell, a 16-year-old board of directors member and co-vice president, added, “I think giving back is important, especially for our community, because using our time and resources to help those less fortunate can strengthen our community. More kids should get involved in giving back because it teaches great morals, leadership qualities, and gives you a sense of purpose and makes you extremely grateful.”