Entrepreneur gives away 25 bikes — and a life lesson — at Fort Worth elementary school
His smile grows as 240 kids pile into the gymnasium at Waverly Park Elementary. Matthew Newman is standing in front of 25 bicycles, paired with helmets, that he’s about to give away.
The kids’ faces light up when they see the bikes. After they’re seated, Newman, a 32-year-old business owner who grew up in east Dallas, introduces himself and talks to the children about the value of owning something.
The teachers come to the front, one by one, and read the names of the 25 children who won an essay contest about what having a bike would mean to them.
In 2016, Newman’s nonprofit, For the Life of You Mentoring Foundation, gave 10 bikes to children at Eduardo Mata Elementary in Dallas. The goal: to encourage outdoor activity and pride in kids who wouldn’t otherwise have a bike.
This was the second year he delivered bikes to fourth- and fifth-graders at Waverly Park Elementary. He made the deliveries after a stop earlier in the day at Mata Elementary.
“Bikes overall are something we used to use as an outdoor activity, whether it got us to school or got us to the court to play basketball,” Newman said. “Bikes were just our mode of transportation to and from the activities when we were outdoors, and sometimes riding bikes was the activity.”
Newman believes the bikes will encourage the kids to not only be active outside, but to also take pride in something they own and learn to properly care for their belongings.
“I want to show you the value of something that is given to you as a gift, for free,” he told the gymnasium of children. “We often take advantage of things and don’t understand the value of our gifts.”
Everything Newman does is spurred by past experiences, whether they were good or bad.
He has fond memories of riding bikes, so he gives them away, so children can have that same experience. He says it’s especially important nowadays, when children can just stay inside and play video games all day.
Another important part of the bike giveaways is the inclusion of police, Newman said. Winners shook the hands of police officers and received a certificate from them.
“I wanted to incorporate police because there’s such a negative view of them, and this might be able to at least help change that perception,” Newman said. “Police can be positive in your life, too.”
Newman started his first business as a teenager, mowing lawns. Working later as a contractor, he realized nobody was paid on time. His lawn care company, based out of California, where he now lives, pays contractors every Friday.
He also owns a shared workspace company, All In Coworking, because he couldn’t afford his own office space when his businesses were new.
Newman hopes to expand his bike giveaways to Missouri City, Texas, next year. His ultimate goal is to give a bike to every student at the schools he visits.
He said that no matter what happens, he will always be at the presentations where students receive their bikes.
“Most people, when they do this, they want to reach 50 schools and 9,000 bikes,” Newman said. “That’s great, but logistically, that’s just not possible. I want to be at every school when these kids receive the bikes.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 5:58 PM.