Spring Update

MVMNT Update 5-4-2026

It’s another exciting moment for MVMNT. Spring activity is rolling and we’ve been out on a hike, a bike ride, and a climbing trip so far! In past years we’ve battled cold rainy conditions but our trips have really lined up with beautiful weather and we have had the opportunity to enjoy some beautiful warm sunny days. 

Our trips, as always, conclude with family dinner back at the MVMNT office where we’ve been able to get to know kids better, hear their stories, remind them that they are valued and that people care about them, and we’ve been able to celebrate a birthday or two together. 

Especially exciting this year, we were able to secure the funds to purchase several brand new high quality mountain bikes for our program. These bikes will replace several older models and help ensure that kids have a great first experience with mountain biking. Being on a fully functional and capable bike really makes all the difference and we’re so excited to be able to offer that to students.

This addition has also added a really neat opportunity for us to support the community. Our older model bikes have seen a lot of love but they are still functional and capable, especially for riding around town or on the rail trail. As a result we’ve been able to set up 5 students with long term bike loans for the year. We hope to continue to expand this program as we fix up more bikes and identify other students who may benefit from this opportunity. 

So far we’ve helped out 2 students who needed transportation around town, one student whose previous bike was stolen, one student who was riding a bike with no brakes and no ability to change gear, and another student who wants the opportunity to exercise on his own via mountain biking.

Over the years I’ve dreamt about what our bike program might look like. It’s been one of the more difficult things for us to do for a number of reasons. We encounter a wide disparity of ability levels when leading a bike trip. This makes it tough to keep students who bike often engaged and not overwhelm students who are just learning. Our awesome crew of adult leaders have helped us solve this. We are now able to split students into two or even three groups based on experience and comfort level and we can adjust the ride to be a good fit for everyone. 

Running a bike program is also challenging because it is expensive and labor intensive. When we initially started MVMNT we applied for funding to purchase a brand new fleet of bicycles. Unfortunately we were not able to secure that funding but had an opportunity to purchase several used bikes from a local summer camp. These bikes were well used but we were able to get our program rolling and they served us well. The downside has been the constant maintenance that they require. We’re always fixing wheel hubs, gears, corroded cables, dropping chains, stuck suspension etc. 

With these challenges in mind along with the headache of transporting, storing, and keeping an adequate fleet to serve a large number of students of different sizes it’s easy to understand why there aren’t many programs like this in the area. It’s my hope that as MVMNT is able to meet our goals of building a high quality bike program we’ll be able to share that with the community in an increasing way. 

New bikes increase our ability to lead trips without the need for significant post trip maintenance. New bikes allow us to fix up and share our older bikes with students who need them. Finally, this bike program has taught us how to be patient, resilient and committed to a dream. Huge thanks to our major funding partners, Wheeler Family Charitable Trust, The 1889 Foundation, Berkebile Oil, The North Star Youth Outreach, and many other generous contributors. Their generosity has not only enabled this purchase but has also allowed us to build a bike shop capable of keeping our bikes rolling and serving students whose bikes need a tune up to be safe on the road. 

We hope to be able to lend bikes out to more students this year and enable them to be independent, get to work and school, get some exercise, and have a safe reliable bike to do that with. 

We’re in the final weeks of the school year now and there are lots of activities taking place. We’re excited to host our year end senior send off and picnic and we plan to host at least one more bike trip before that event. Then we’ll make the transition to summer lunch mode where our office will be filled with student workers preparing meals to be delivered all over the county. Last year we served 83,000 grab and go meals distributed at multiple sites throughout Somerset county. We did this out of our little MVMNT office with teen workers and volunteer drivers. We’ll deliver to the same sites this year and expect to serve even more folks as we strive to deliver healthy food and ease the grocery burden for families with children. 

I’ve been thinking about what we do at MVMNT and what so many other fantastic organizations in our area do to serve people. Where does the motivation come from? While I can’t speak for everyone I can at least speak for us; love. We love kids, we love this place where we live, and we want to see people thrive. 

In my last update I referenced Mr. Rogers and his call for us to reflect on the people who “loved us into being.” That thought returns to my mind now as I think about the ripple effect that an expression of love and care to someone can bring. I sure hope that as families receive meals, as students are given bikes, as we fix up bikes at no cost, and as we lead students on adventures that they will reflect on the love that motivated us to serve. 

I hope that as you read this update you’re given an opportunity to reflect on those that loved you and think of the ways that you’re loving others. We sure need it now more than ever. And the great news is that love is just as powerful as it always has been. Perhaps the world feels a little darker or circumstances feel heavier. But a light shines brightest in a dark place. Thanks for helping us shine a light and I hope you’re inspired to turn the light on in your own life today. 

With love and gratitude,

Spencer