A bike, a boy and a value = our feel-good moment of the week

Earlier this year, Gardner Denver’s local Industrial Technologies and Services sales and after-sales service employees held their annual meeting in Melbourne, Australia. The difference between this annual meeting and those of previous years was the introduction of a dynamic team-building activity with Bike for Tykes Australia.

This week, the site reported the receipt of “the most divine thank you card from a little boy who received one of the bikes we put together and donated.”

The team’s task was to purchase and assemble children’s bicycles, providing a unique opportunity to develop their communication, creativity, leadership and teamwork skills while giving back to their community. The activity illustrated their inspiration and action to care for their neighbors, one of our company values. The assembled bikes were delivered to Brainwave and Very Special Kids to be distributed to underprivileged children across Melbourne, Australia.

In a separate note, the boy’s mother offered her own appreciation for Gardner Denver’s gift: “The absolute joy in seeing him presented with a brand new bike was just amazing – he has been struggling lately and this was such an incredible way to lift his spirits. Thank you for always thinking of our family and for giving them opportunities we simply can’t at this time. You can be sure that bike will be loved and taken care of, and it’s being ridden every day.”