A look back on Day 6: Service Project: Complete the Cycle

On Friday, June 24 as the National Leadership & Skills Conference wraps up, SkillsUSA students will apply their skills to serve the Atlanta community by participating in the “Build Skills – Do Good – Complete the Cycle” community service project.

“Although it was a community service project, it didn’t feel like a chore. The organizers created a fun and exciting environment for us all,” states Parker Frelin, (HA graduate). “ The teamwork we had to use brought us closer together, and when we were done, the community benefited. Even though we didn’t know the kids we built the bikes for, we felt connected to them and connected to the city we were visiting.”

The service project took place right at the Georgia World Congress Center in the Thomas Murphy Ballroom, and ran from 9 AM to 12 noon, beginning with a kickoff rally that consists of a rowdy game of Rock-Paper-Scissors with the winner moving on to the next round and all others staying on to cheer. Soon, the room filled with 400 SkillsUSA kids became a cheering, chanting room as they watched the final two. What a great way to break the ice!

“I loved meeting new people and working with them toward a common goal,” states Kaitlyn Bober (VA graduate). “Even though building and putting items together is not my strong suit, the other activities (trivia, being the runner, being a team leader) made it fun for everyone, and the greatest reward was meeting the kids at the end.”

And then it was time to build the bikes. Working in small teams, the participants will assemble children’s bikes and present them to a local youth organization. The trick: they needed to correctly answer about 50 brain-teaser questions to earn the gold coins to earn the bike box to begin working on assembling the bike using Allen wrenches, Phillips head screwdriver, and specialized tools. A few more coins earned a helmet and stickers and a customizable license plate. In all, the kids’ team, which (thankfully) included a few more students who were thankfully in the Aviation Maintenance Technology Champions. What was great was that every student was engaged in some part of the process.

Overall, our Complete the Cycle SkillsUSA team built 4 bikes and repaired 3! We also came in 3rd place for successful completion of their efforts winning an incredible prize: “Bragging Rights!”

At the end of the morning, children from the Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta arrived to the surprise of getting to choose a new bike! Our SkillsUSA competitors were able to witness the children run to their bikes and pedal around — smiles from ear to ear!

“I really enjoyed watching the little kids ride their bikes. For some, they needed help, so we were able to step in to help them balance as they steered,” states Hailey Diffenbacher (HA graduate). “Being able to see the joy on their faces just made me so happy.”

This project gives the students a meaningful focus as they wait for the Awards Ceremony later that night and fosters a heart for service that students can take home and apply in their own communities.