Going Places

Going Places

Now.

She's a woman who never stops, no matter what life throws us.

She has been using the stay-at-home order to further her mission to bring smiles to low country children.

We welcome back katie blumquist, founder and executive director of going places, and good to see you.

>> thanks for centering me.

>> how are you weathering this storm?

>> just fine, open and staying busy and any ways that we can help going places and spreading joy to the community now.

We have helped bring doctors and nurses and coffee by having kid's fundraisers going places and partnering with big coffee.

And talking about our new campaign, and teaching people how to start their own non-profits, so i've been staying busy and relying my own bike a lot.

>> i know, and it's beautiful weather now, so getting out on your bike.

But i tell you, you're such a creative person, and a lot of people will look at this time as oh, gee, i can't get out and do what i normally do, but you have flipped it around and used it to the benefit of your organization.

So what was the last fundraiser you had before the whole lockdown?

>> before the whole lockdown was our end of year giving, i believe.

The giving tuesday, all of that.

We're gearing up for our gala, which we have had to postpone, so the last huge push we had was november and december.

>> yes, that's right, we were all going to meet for the big gala, and have a wonderful time.

And that has been sidelined, at least for now, and has that been rescheduled?

>> yes, it's rescheduled for the end much september, and we'll have to wait and see, are we going to be able to have 200 people in a room?

I don't know.

We're crossing finger that's it's safe and we feel comfortable to do that then, but we'll have to reevaluate and everybody is waiting because every week is something different in life right now, so fingers crossed.

>> absolutely fingers crossed and virtually as well.

There's nothing stopping us from virtually.

>> absolutely.

>> everybody knows you for these big bike giveaways.

You were once a teacher at a title one school, and this was the impetus for starting to go places, so these big bike giveaways have been near and dear to your heart and your mission, but it has evolved and what are some of the other things that you're doing?

>> so going places that's become not just bikes.

Our underlying tone is joy, and bikes is the only program we raise money for, and what we put the money into, and what i spend most of my time o.

But we have a halloween costume program, where we have people donate used or halloween costumes, and any kid with out a costume gets to pick one out and we also is a a program, surprise joy, and we partner with local businesses and the title one schools, we don't go in and say hey, there's coffee in the front office.

It's important that we go door-to-door, not just the teachers, but the front office, the day quarter, and the kitchen andeteria staff.

Because the kids are bringing their stress not only into the classroom, but the front office, and there's not pta money to do anything for the staff.

So i've seen people literally cry over a cup of coffee, saying you have no idea how much i needed this, and i say yes , i do, because i was one of you.

We have had not just coffee, but food and a variety of gifts, and ream, we found an appropriate pivot where we did that with coffee, and we went to musc and did that for the doctors and nurses, dialing the front line of covid.

>> is that care and a little bit of attention to someone giving and giving so much means the world to them.

And you have another mission that i want to talk >> welcome back, we have been chatting with our friend, katie blumquist, the director of going places, an organization founded here in the low country that brings bicycles and joy to kids in the low country.

Bicycles, there's nothing like that memory of riding around your neighborhood with your friends, having that freedom.

And the wind blowing through your hair, that's really, you said that joy is the underlying tone for going places.

But it's just that.

That a lot of children in the area are missing out on.

>> yeah, you know, a lot of times what i initially say, we give bikes to disadvantaged kids.

And that's their initial reaction.

That's nice, that toy is nice, but there are more basic needs.

And i remind them that joy is a piece of our social emotional heat.

And that is a basic need.

If a child has had joy or not, it, as a child, can determine what type of adult they become, so for a lot of these kids, living in poverty, home is not a predictable place, and when they come home from school, their stress starts.

So a bike is escape even for a few hours, and it's something valuable to own, when many kids don't even have a bed to sleep in.

And a bike gives them that.

It's a sense of restored innocence, and it's so much more than what we instantly think of and it's a basic need.

>> i think it's such a beautiful way of explaining it.

We take these things for granted when we've been given so much.

And for children borat a disadvantage economically, they don't have that, and yes, it does make that impression on them.

And they grow into adults that never had those positive influences or experiences, so it changes a person.

But you're not stopping there.

You've done so much.

And now you have a new mission that you are putting together.

It's called bundles of joy, so tell us more about this.

>> so our board had a virtual meeting, and we thought what can we do now?

We did the coffee for the doctors and nurses but really, with our main mission of getting these pieces of joy to disadvantaged kids, we can't give our bikes now, and what can we do?

So one of our board members came up with a bundle of joy, and it's a gift bag full of fun activities for the whole family to do together, because i found having been a title one teacher, a lot of families don't know how to spend time together.

And what activities to do, and we found our bikes have created family time that didn't exist before.

Because parents are going with the kids to the park, and they have three kids, and they couldn't buy all of themselves a bike, but one bike and we have gift bags, and we have locations at title one schools right now, and our goal is to create 120 bags.

And in each bag will be two packs of crayons, four mini coloring books.

And you're going to have a six-pack of playing cards, so in the pack, uno, go fish and all of these games, and you'll get either a puzzle or a minny jenga, and wonder works has donated these minny terrariums, so it's a bunch of activities for the whole family.

>> so they can go on the amazon wish list and donate?

>> yes, we have an amazon wish list, it's on social media and people can select things to put in the bundles of joy.

>> so we'll put it on the social media pages to get people involved.

And katie, we want to thank you so much for being such an inspiration for everyone in the community.

You are so selfless, and you have such a big heart.

>> and it's always so much fun to talk to you.

>> thank you so much.

>> thank you, and you stay safe out there.

>> you too.

>> all right, we're back in 2 minutes.