150 bikes were donated to children at Montlieu Academy of Technology.
To watch a special news story about the event, click here.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Aug. 23, 2021 – Giving back to the High Point community started on the first day of college for new High Point University students.
During a team building exercise on Sunday, HPU freshmen built 150 bikes together. Today, the HPU students surprised children at Montlieu Academy of Technology by giving the bikes to them.
“I’m super, super, super excited,” said 7-year-old Dixie Bryant, who received a bike inside HPU’s Millis Athletic and Convocation Center, where HPU students surprised the children. “I didn’t know this would happen. I just thought I would meet lots of people. When I get home, I’m going to tell my mom and dad we got free bikes!”
“This really set the tone for the school year,” said Grace Canonica from Long Island, New York. “Today was our first day of school, and we are already giving back to the community.”
The event is one of the many ways HPU gives back to the community. This is the third year HPU students have built and surprised local children with the bikes.
“We are super excited to be able to have the opportunity to come over again and partner with HPU to provide bikes to all of our amazing kids who are here today,” says Kim Scott, principal at Montlieu Academy of Technology. “It is mind-blowing, and the kids were absolutely astonished. The number of conversations I was able to have with the kids about how they want to grow up and go to HPU is what makes moments like this worthwhile.”
HPU is dedicated to values-based and service-learning opportunities both on and off- campus. Students, faculty and staff volunteer more than 110,000 hours each year.
“This event seems like a good sign of a lot of things to come since we are doing this the first day of college,” said Hamzah Alkhawaldeh from Orlando, Florida. “I think there will be a lot of opportunities like this. Today, when Alex and I picked up a little bit of speed and he got the hang of riding the bike, it was really exciting to see him.”
HPU President Dr. Nido Qubein often shares with students the Bible verse from Luke 12:48 that is engraved inside the Hayworth Fine Arts Center. It says, “To whom much is given, much will be required.”
“It is quite an experience for these students in their first couple of days on campus to give back to the community in a meaningful way,” said HPU President Dr. Nido Qubein. “We are High Point’s university with an apostrophe s, and this shows students how important it is to care for your community.”