Giving back to our community is so important and we are so excited to present Charleston Moms CARE, a series where we highlight different non-profits around the Lowcountry. We’ll tell you more about the organization and how you can get involved!
This month we are featuring Going Places, a local nonprofit organization whose mission “is to provide disadvantaged kids with their most basic childhood right – a right to joy.”
Going Places
Going Places began with an idea by then-first-grade teacher Katie Blomquist. Katie was teaching in a low-income elementary school and was shocked when she learned that a student of hers, Jawan, had never owned a bike. In hearing that this was true for many of her students, her desire to change this grew. She had the idea to buy all 650 students in her school a brand-new, high-quality bike by starting a GoFundMe campaign. With the help of the local bicycle shop Affordabike, Katie brought this vision to life.
This campaign brought national recognition and helped Katie realize that she wanted to bring joy to as many kids as she could, so Going Places was born. She knew that while there were many organizations that helped with kids’ basic needs, their social-emotional needs were being overlooked. A bike can bring a child living in less-than-desirable circumstances a sense of freedom and escape and restore the innocence of childhood that may be missing.
Ways to get involved
- Donate. The most immediate need is for fiscal contributions. Learn more about how to donate or create a fundraiser.
- Going Places events. Support Going Places at one of their fun events around town! All of the events are family-friendly and packed with entertainment.
- Spread the word. Follow Going Places on social media and keep up-to-date with all their latest news!
- Help build 587 bikes for the kids at Dunston Elementary and Charleston Development Academy! Find out more information about getting involved here, and don’t worry, you don’t need to know how to build a bike in advance!
- Help out at the bike reveal mentioned above! You can help by being a part of surprising the kids with their bikes, helping distribute bikes to parents all day, and helping kids ride their bikes all day. Find out more information here.
Let’s show our community some love! Help us spread the word about your favorite Lowcountry non-profits by tagging us @charlestonmoms and using the hashtag #charlestonmomscare and we’ll share your pictures!
