Teacher seeks to provide a new bike for each student in her low income school

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (KTVU) - A South Carolina teacher has a big Christmas wish: To raise enough money to provide a bicycle for each of the 650 students in her school.

Katie Blomquist teaches first grade at Pepperhill Elementary in North Charleston.

The Title 1 school receives special federal funding for its students, with most of them coming from low income families.

"90% of the kids are living on the poverty line," explained Blomquist.

So last year, the 33-year-old teacher came up with an idea for an online fundraising drive after one of her students told her that he did not own a bicycle.

She said she had been bonding with the child. He comes from a home that's "not the most pleasant," Blomquist told KTVU Fox 2.

The teacher said the child is being raised by his grandmother, who is a wonderful woman but aging herself and struggling to care for her own mother.

He wasn't getting a lot of life experiences, and she noticed he was "unmotivated" to push himself in school.

So in an effort to get him motivated and gain some life experiences, she talked with his grandmother about spending some time with him outside the classroom.

Blomquist reached into her own pocket to treat him to special outings, including to restaurants and a trip to Monster Jam, and she brought him to the beach for only the second time in his life.

Blomquist said when the boy's birthday came around, there were no plans for a celebration so she wanted to do something special for him. She took him to Walmart so he could pick out a few toys.

Blomquist said he begged and begged her for a bicycle, but she had to explain to him that she couldn't afford one, but really wished she could.

"Then I started thinking of the other kids," she said. 

The teacher wanted to give students in her school "a sense of ownership, a sense of pride... the basic joys of riding a bike, and the responsibility of ownership," said Blomquist. "Some of these kids don't even own their own bed."

So the teacher set out to do something about it and launched a fundraising drive, creating a GoFundMe page called "Every Kid Deserves A Bike!"

"Every child deserves to have a bike, but, unfortunately, not every child has the opportunity to receive one," Blomquist wrote on the page. "I soon began to envision how each student's quality of life could improve if they had more freedom to ride around their neighborhoods," she said.

"For many of us, our best childhood memories are of riding our bikes and going swimming," the simple childhood pleasures, she said. 

Blomquist is from Southern California. A few years ago she left a corporate job in marketing in Chicago to become a teacher.

She said she "wasn't getting any satisfaction" in her job and wanted to do something to make a difference.

So she set out to work with children from low income families. "I chose to work in a Title 1 school," she said. 

"I didn't come to just teach reading and writing. The majority of our job at this school is to teach social lessons."

Blomquist's goal is to raise $65,000 by Christmas, and after launching the donation drive only this past September, she is on track to deliver. As of Tuesday, her GoFundMe page showed she's raised more than $41,000 and that amount continues to climb.

In fact, she is on track to far surpass her goal.

Her story has spread and there has been a huge outpouring of support from across the country. "It's been amazing," said Blomquist.

People have made a wide range of donations.

One person gave $5 with a message that that was all the donor could afford, but really wanted to support the drive and be a part of this effort.

"I was really touched," said Blomquist. "And every one of those dollars count."

Blomquist said one woman came forward and not only gave money for the bike drive but also reached out to her to ask what she needs in the classroom.

What happened next surprised and moved her: The woman had much needed student desks delivered to her class and a $100 gift card to Walmart for classroom supplies.

Blomquist has also received donations from the toy company, Radio Flyer. And a local business, Affordabike Bicycle Shop in Charleston, has offered to make custom bicycles as part of the bike drive.

She notes, "In this time of such negativity, the whole purpose is to spread kindness and love... bring out the good in people." 

Blomquist says she has been inspired and moved by those who have supported her cause and shown such kindness.

"Now I want to spread the love," said Blomquist. Her plan is to expand the drive to include neighboring kids in other Title 1 schools so they can experience "the same joy."

Blomquist envisions unveiling the bikes on Christmas so the kids at Pepperhill Elementary can have a holiday they will remember.

She says her job goes beyond affecting the lives of her students in the classroom.

"A huge part of it is the emotional aspect of making a difference in these kids' lives," Blomquist said.

And it appears this teacher is doing even more than that, by not only making a difference in the lives of students in her school, but by inspiring others to help bring some joy into a child's life.