December 29, 2021

Donor Spotlight: Callee's Bikes for Buddies

Community Partner News

A dedicated  friend of CASA Callee is committed to donating bikes every year around the holidays. These bikes are given to kids in shelter or kids accessing our other programs as a gift. Callee had a lot to say about CASA’s mission and why we are a recipient of her amazing contribution to our community.

1. What do you hope our organization will achieve in the near future? In the long term?

I hope CASA will continue to provide a safe place for women and children and advocate for voices that are unable to be heard. Ultimately, I hope for a world where all women and children have access to the resources they need to live full and happy lives, and I’m grateful to the work CASA does every day to make this a reality.

2. Do you have an anecdote about this cause/organization that really moved you?

I love donating bikes to CASA every year and I am moved by their continuous appreciation and hard work. Each year as I get ready to distribute bikes I receive a list of only ages and gender of the children living at the shelter who need a bike — and every year I am so honored to be able to provide bikes for every person on that list and try to imagine the joy that they feel when they go for that first ride. It’s these thoughts that motivate me year after year.

3. How do you see our organizations partnering together in the future?

As I go on to college, I hope to continue contributing to CASA and their incredible cause, whether it’s by donating more bikes or donating my time in some other way.

4. Do you have a message to share about the work your organization does to support community non-profits?

I started Callee’s Bikes for Buddies when I was 7 years old and decided I wanted to have a lemonade stand to raise enough money to buy a bike for one child living in a homeless shelter. Since starting in 2011, I have been able to raise enough funds through donations from my lemonade stands to buy 1,029 new bicycles that benefit more than 10 community non-profits in the Tampa Bay area. My mission is to make a difference in the lives of children and teenagers living in homeless shelters and transitional housing facilities in our community.  And my overall goal is to offer a mode of transportation, exercise, freedom, and especially hope to people in difficult circumstances by providing a bike. I am honored to have donated more than 150 bikes to this amazing organization.

Callee, thank you for thinking of children accessing our programs around the holidays. Your constant support has made our community a better place, and we are so grateful.