So Last week the boys decided to walk their neighborhood homes to solicit donations of used bikes. The worked 2 days passing fliers.  The first day they got the word out and the day before we collected the bikes, they decided to remind their neighbors by walking placing fliers in the front doors.   Their efforts helped us collect 36 bikes.  Those bikes will be repaired and donated on June 16th to the Sun Valley neighborhood in Denver.

This was the second time several of the boys have supported our ministry.  Several weeks back two of the boys, Owen and Ryan spent a rainy afternoon learning to fix flats, adjust brakes, replace broken pedals and change sits on used bikes.

GREAT JOB BOYS

Save The Date! Project ReCycle Fundraiser

If you can’t attend, but wish to support us, you are welcome to donate to our non-profit, you can use our donate button to the right side of the site right now!

Comedy Works will have food & beverages for sale, so that is a cash bar.

We would love to have you join us! Invite your friends & neighbors and have a night out together of all laughs.

Let us know how many tickets we can get for you – contact us today through our Contact Form!

Another Walmart Joins 3t Ministry Cause of Donation Bicycles for Kids

Last Wednesday morning marked another great moment for us here at 3T Ministry.

We have been working with the Highlands Ranch and Parker Walmart stores for the last 9 months.  They donate any defective bicycle to our ministry.  We have been repairing them and making them accessible to hundreds of children.

The Centennial Colorado store located off Havana and Arapahoe road, has become our 3rd Walmart store to contribute bikes to our ministry.  Many great things are happening this year, with events lined up for the following months, the launching of our “Project Recycle” program early this year, and now the addition of a 3rd store.

With God all things are possible.

Two weeks ago, my two sisters, and myself, bought a shark bike and a spider man bike for the 3T Ministry bike drive. We had been saving our money, so that we would be able to donate a bike to 3T Ministry. What better way to spend the money that we saved, so bring joy into someone else’s heart.

As 3T Ministry volunteers, I feel that we are all called to give to others, in a way that feels more outstanding then we feel capable. I know that I speak for my sisters and myself, when is say that giving isn’t just giving, but rather giving is a message in itself. Buying those two bikes for 3T Ministry brought joy to me and my sister, and was a bonding experience that we really enjoyed. What better way to do volunteer work, when you are surrounded by the ones that you love!

So let me ask you this: what do you expect from yourself when volunteering? No bar has ever been set for you to reach by 3T Ministry, but why not set one for yourself. In stead of just giving to give, give because you have a purpose, and because it is more than you expected from yourself.

~Ali

Spring is in the air in Denver CO! Which means summer is just around the corner. The official kick off to the spring season is less than a few weeks away.  And that means it is time for bikes!

As you clean out the garage and notice that little Joey has grown a foot and his bike will no longer fit him, think of us at PROJECT RE-CYCLE.  We would love to take that bike off your hands.

We will fix it up and make it like new so that some other little Joey  that doesn’t have the means to afford a bike will have that gift.

As we have said before a bike is more than a toy. It is exercise. It is health. Transportation, perhaps to school or a job. Time to bond with a family member or friend. It is freedom.

We see so many bikes online for $10 or $20.  We are a tax deductible organization that you can donate that same bike to and you don’t have any of the hassles of online buyers of strangers showing up at your door to maybe buy a bike.  Your old bike is a new gift to a child in need.

We will also be planning bike drives around the Denver area throughout the spring and into the summer in Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree and more.  These are great opportunities to save your donation for a bicycle donation drive or perhaps even think about being a volunteer for such an event.

We would be honored to receive your donation and give that gift to a child.

They told us about themselves and background, it was so nice to hear such great stories and even some tales of other community projects and mission work.  We were impressed with their questions for us as well.  We loved seeing their reactions as we showed them some of the thank you letters we had received from kids that were the recipients of donated bikes that 3t had fixed up and brought to them.  At the end of the meeting I believe they were as excited to work with us as we are with them.

This group is going to help us brand Project Re-Cycle into the full bodied brand that it deserves. We were supposed to meet again last Friday but that little storm that was supposed to be little but instead shut the city down got in the way. We are excited to meet with them later this week instead and see what they have begun to put together for us and Project Re-Cycle.  We are so grateful to have them on our team!

We are very excited here at 3t Ministry today.  We have a very special guest blogger that we hope will be making a regular appearance.  Ali is a regular volunteer with our Project Re-Cycle program and is a high school student as well as a gifted writer. Please welcome Ali to our blog and see what 3t Ministry means to her!

Who, What, Where, When, and Why are five words that relate to anything in life; WHO was the first person who landed on the moon? WHAT day is it today? WHERE is the best place to grab a bite to eat? WHEN is the spring dance? WHY am I writing this? The five W’s (Who, What, Where, When, and Why) tell my life-changing-experience of what it means to be a 3T Ministry volunteer.

“Who is going to make a difference?” That is what me dad has always said to me. All I have ever wanted was to be able to put a smile on someone’s face, and the satisfaction of knowing that I helped to make a positive change in someone’s life.

I am a 3T Ministry volunteer along with my two sisters, my mom, and my dad, who is the founder of 3T Ministry. Being a volunteer consists of time and talents. It is helpful and gratefully appreciated when treasures are donated, but being a volunteer and doing hands on work is an experience that will truly change your life.

This past summer I volunteered at the 3T Ministry bike drive as a face painter. Even though my job as a face painter had nothing to do with bikes, I was there to make sure that the children were able to walk away with a smile across their cherubic faces. I remember a little boy at about the age of seven, riding around on HIS Spiderman bike without a care in the world. His black tires raced across the hot pavement turning left and right, his smile as wide as the ocean showing his white, crooked, eight year old teeth. That is what made working through the scorching summer day bearable, and watching that child ride away, full of happiness, on his new bike.

At the end of the day that is what makes volunteering for 3T Ministry worth the while. To be alive is merely existing, but life is meant for living, so make a difference and start living.                                                ~ Ali

If you live in Douglas County or even just ride here, you know what a great trail system we have here & opportunities to ride varied terrain on roads as well. . If you are a regular rider, or even a casual recreational rider, you should check out Bicycle Douglas County if you haven’t already.  They are a local bicycle advocacy group with great information on safety, conditions, and more.

We were thrilled with the mention of 3t Ministry and our bike donation program, now called Project Re-Cycle, in their December newsletter.  If you are joining us here from the Bicycle Douglas County Newsletter, we welcome you and would love to see you at one of our bike donation events.

It’s official friends, PROJECT RE-CYCLE will be the new name for our bike program here at 3t Ministry.

We invited our Facebook fans and friends to vote and suggest names for our bike program.  The decision to name the program was made by Executive Director late last year.  “We are committed to our Christian Values and that has been the core for 3t Ministry since the beginning.  Last year we found out that donors were more apt to donate a bike once they found out what 3T was all about.  After listening to our donors, we understood the need for a name that would give us immediate identity without having to explain what we did. We asked for suggestions for a name that clearly identified what we do…give away bikes. I think our fans and friends picked the right name.”

More good news.  Late last year The Art Institute of Colorado (AIC) chose our non-profit for their winter project. AIC will create our web design, logo, artwork, brochures and related marketing materials for our new project at no cost.  They have assigned a design team to work with our Executive Director over a period of 11 weeks starting mid January 2012.

Don’t be shy, we would love to hear your comments and thoughts below!

I am in need of help. I have agreed to help run the Girl Scout Cookie Delivery location this year. The only day we will be delivering cookies will be on January 21 from 7:30am until 6pm at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock. I am in need of volunteers. These volunteers will be loading vehicles will cases of Girl Scout Cookies. If you could please send this out to the Knights I would greatly appreciate it. Volunteers can either be Knights or even High Schoolers in need to fulfill their volunteer hours.  If anyone is in need of additional information they are welcome to email me at sgcahill317 (at) comcast (dot) net

As we welcome 2012 today, all of us here at 3t Ministry want to say Happy New Year! We hope that this fresh New Year of 2012 brings joy, peace, good health and blessings to your life!

2011 was such a big year for us here at 3t Ministry. This was the year we took some major steps to become a bicycle donation center for the Denver metro area so that we can fix up bikes and provide them to folks in need all over Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Region.  Here are just some of the highlights.

1. In March of 2011 3t Ministry received our Determination Letter and we qualified as a 501(c)3 charity.
2. In May we hosted and ran the 13th annual “Inner City Health Center Community Kids bike fair“
3. July was huge. The Walmart stores in Highlands Ranch and Parker starting donating bikes needing repair. We had so many more now to fix up and donate.
4. July brought us the establishment of our bike rides program.  We have been cycling in Douglas County on a weekly basis to raise awareness about our ministry.
5. In September, Tony’s Market held a Bike Drive at all of their stores. We collected over 100 used bikes! Amazing! That is over 100 kids and folks that now had a bike that did not have the means to get one before.
6. Throughout the year we were looking for a permanent home to store and repair our bike donations. In November, we received donated space in Denver for our bike program- an amazing 5000 square feet of donated space! We remain so grateful!
7. Also in November, Tony’s Markets agreed to become our YEAR-LONG-BIKE DROP OFF.  If you have a bike to donate and can’t get to a bike drive, just bring it to Tony’s Markets and they will hold it for us. Make sure you pop in and check out all the delicious foods they have while you are there.  They are good people and their food is great too!
8. In December, on top of our regular bike donations, we ran a coat drives and collected over 750 new and used coats, blankets, gloves and hats in all.
9. Also in December we donated a truck-load of bikes and coats to the Knights of Columbus for their “Coats to Kids” program.
10. Throughout 2011, 3t Ministry gifted over 600 bikes!  Amazing!

We could have not done any of this without all of our donors, volunteers, community advocates and supporters!  Thank you!

A few other notes – throughout the year we continued to work on our website as a way get the word out. At the beginning of the year we were averaging 200 to 300 visitors a month and that has grown with over 850 in December! We also now have a presence on Twitter and Facebook and have begun making some changes to the site that will continue into the new year.

We have big plans for 2012! Keep checking the web site and you will know where we will be and what we are up to. We already have several Bike Donation Drives planned.

Happy New Year & thank you all for your support of 3t Ministry!

Here at 3t Ministry, we hope that you have had a very blessed Christmas celebration with your loved ones.  Someone in your family may have been fortunate enough to have Santa fit a new bike in the sleigh.  If that is the case and you have an extra bike on you hands, here’s an idea for you & your family to consider!

Donate your old bike.

At 3t Ministry we take bikes in all shapes or size, we take bikes in every color.  In every shape. New or old. Perfect or needing repair.  We will fix it up and get it in the hands of someone that does not have the means to get a bike themselves.

Bikes can change lives. They provide transportation. They are great exercise. They instill confidence. They are used to play and laugh and have fun and race.

We have many Denver area bike donation drives coming up as we begin 2012, if you are in the Denver area and have a bike to donate, we would love to hear from you or see you at one of our drop off location or bike donation drives.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Additionally, there are already bike drives being planned for bike donation days in Highlands Ranch during the months of March, April and May 2012.  If you are a part of a community organization, school or company that would like to organize a bike drive for 3t Ministry we would love to assist you in any way we can. Contact us for more information!

12/15/2011
1/19/2012
4/26/2012
8/22/2012
12/6/2012

Locations for the Board of Directors meetings TBA. For more information about 3t Ministry, our Board of Directors or 3t Ministry, please contact us!

We have many opportunities for you to get involved at 3t Ministry this month, be it at a Bike Repair Event, Winter Coat Delivery, and more. And as we near Christmas, we will have some special events to present bikes to their new owners.

Here’s what is coming up:

12/3/11 Bike repairs at 34th and Downing 3t Ministry facility. No experience necessary. 9am – 1pm

12/9/11 Winter Coat delivery to the homeless – Marion House, Colorado Springs

12/10/11 “Coats For Kids” sponsored by the Knights of Colombus, Alamosa, CO

12/11/11 ” Coats For Kids” sponsored by the Knights of Colombus, La Jara, CO

12/16/11 Delivering Donated bikes to Open Door Youth Gang Alternative

12/23/11 Presenting Bikes to the kids of Open Door Youth Gang Alternative

We would love to have you get involved. And if you are short on time, but still want to support our mission, donations are always appreciated.  Want to get involved? Just contact us.

Al Getz has supported 3t Ministry from inception.  He has volunteered over 40 hours this year.  He has been involved in collecting, picking up bikes to personally spending time during our community events.

Al is committed to supporting us with his gifts of time talent and treasures.  His wife Louella has been involved with our projects as well.  They are a joy to work alongside.

Thank you Al, Louella and ULA for your contribution.

Tony's Market

Last week Tony’s Markets opened their doors to collecting bicycles for 3T Ministry.  Over 10 days we were able to collect nearly 100 bicycles.  We will refurbish those bicycles and donate them to Open Doors Youth Gang Alternatives during the month of April 2012.

Because of the great success with this drive, Tony’s Markets have open their doors to 3T Ministry and will be collecting bikes all year round.

So if you missed us during the drive, no worries.  Just stop by any of the 4 metro Denver locations and drop off a new or used bicycle.

And while you are visiting a Tony’s Market, why not pick up something for the grill or dinner tonight!!!!!!

34th and downing

We have been praying for a place to store our bikes and do some work on them.  Late this afternoon Inner City Health Center (ICHC) made that a possibility for our ministry when they offered us the use of their former location.

We will storing over 250 bicycles on the currently vacant building located on 34th and Downing.  Soon after we plan to set up shop to start fixing bikes.  We are making it a point to work on bicycles at least twice a week.  Therefore, We would love to invite our volunteers and the local residents to come on by and help us fix some bikes.  as soon as we have more details we will announce them to our volunteers and subscribers.  As we become visible in the community, we expect the local residents to join us in the efforts.

We have an opportunity to be in the midst of the communities we serve.  It is God’s plan for us.  As winter approaches we continue to accumulate bicycles and having a place to work on bikes, away from the cold weather, is a gift to us.

With God all Things are possible.

Tony’s Market is expanding its efforts to give back to the community with a used bike drive. Last year was the inaugural “Tony’s to Tony’s Bike Ride,” and to make it even better this year, they are raising money for new bikes for the kids at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver – and are also promoting a used bicycle drive.

Bring your used bicycles to any Tony’s Market location from Saturday, September 24 through Saturday, October 1, 2011.

3t Ministry will be picking up the bikes, refurbishing them and donating them to kids at the Open Doors Youth Gang Alternatives in Denver big bike rally that will be held next April. Along with a refurbished bike, the kids will also receive new helmets and locks.

You can also bring used bikes to the Tony’s to Tony’s Bike Ride on Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 950 Broadway in Denver. The ride is a 71-mile bicycle tour stopping at all four Tony’s Market locations with an assortment of Tony’s culinary specialties at each stop and an Italian luncheon at the finish. Over 150 cyclists and Tony’s enthusiasts have signed-up, and with a portion of the entry fee Tony’s was able to donate enough money to provide fifteen Boys & Girls Club members from the William E. Cope Branch with new bicycles.

“Our goal for the used bike drive is to be able to provide at least 50 plus refurbished bikes to the deserving youth of Denver,” said Tony Rosacci, founder of Tony’s Market. “This is really a community event thanks to our partners including The Wellness Bridge, Colorado Heart Cycle, Bicycle Village, Closet Factory and Susie Wargin of 9News who is our honorary ride leader this year.”

3t Ministry will provide tax receipts upon request. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Lynnea Louison, Director of Human Resources, Tony’s Market, 720.581.3738, Lynnea@TonysMarket.com.