wellington volunteer
MEGAN & LAURA KOHNER
Bikes For Kidz Founders Started Their Volunteer Efforts As Young Children Story by Matthew Auerbach Photos by Abner Pedraza
The act of sharing is the essence of volunteerism. You give freely of your time, energy and concern to ensure others will have a chance at a better life. Those on the receiving end of your efforts appreciate your commitment to them. It’s a bond not unlike that between family members. Twin sisters Megan and Laura Kohner, the December nominees for Wellington The Magazine’s Volunteer of the Year award, know all about bonds. The 19-year-old Wellington residents share a passion for learning, music, business and helping others. They made their first foray into the world of volunteering while still in elementary school, and that desire to raise others up continues today as they begin their college careers in Texas at Southern Methodist University. It should come as no surprise that volunteering runs in the Kohner family. “Our dad Michael gives his time to many different organizations, as does our mom, Kimberly,” Megan said. “Dad volunteers for local charities and his college alma mater. He recently co-founded a not-forprofit organization of the financial, accounting, legal and social sectors to promote local philanthropy. We hope to be involved with that or a similar organization after we finish our education.” Laura cites their mother and brother Andrew as inspirations, as well. “Mom has volunteered for several organizations, including every school
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we’ve attended, which made her very visible to us,” she said. “Andrew volunteered for Big Brothers Big Sisters in schools, served as a medical volunteer in India and coached Wellington Recreation lacrosse. He somehow finds time while attending college in Houston to volunteer at elementary schools, hospitals, soup kitchens and Habitat for Humanity.” The girls’ first taste of volunteering came more than a decade ago, when they helped make tiles for the playground at Tiger Shark Cove Park. “After that, we found other ways we could help,” Laura said. “We made blankets and activity kits for children undergoing chemotherapy treatments. We volunteered with the Kids Cancer Foundation’s fundraising golf tournaments and galas, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation galas. Megan and I were also very excited to be able to volunteer at the Okeeheelee Nature Center and care for the animals that we’ve been visiting since we were very young.” It was their own involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters as mentors at Title I elementary schools, where they helped students work on their homework, reading skills and physical fitness, which took their volunteering to an entirely new level. “We got the idea to start Bikes For Kidz when Big Brothers Big Sisters stopped their operations in our
location,” Megan said. “We had all become very close to the kids we had worked with and knew that we wanted to continue to work with the students. We felt that the sudden end left the kids feeling abandoned and without ‘the next step.’ Because of the abrupt dissolution, we realized that at some point, we would no longer be there for the kids, and that self-motivation is very important to their long-term success. We decided that we were not going to let the kids go until they were ready to succeed on their own.” The decision to remain connected to the students in a positive way led to many sleepless nights wondering just what could be done to improve their lives. “We know that the basis of learning is reading, and we felt that physical fitness and having a physical outlet is also important in learning and feeling good about yourself,” Megan said. “Literacy, physical fitness and self-motivation became our mission. Now we faced the dilemma of deciding what physical activity would work the best for young kids. We decided that bikes were the perfect solution. Biking does not require more than one person but can accommodate several participants. Besides, what kid wouldn’t want a shiny new bike?” But just how would those bikes be purchased? Along with Andrew and his friend Cody, Megan and Laura went through the process of