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Bike tour aims to unite the community
Holt National Honor Society plans for a district-wide biking event
by Jami Sailer & Brian Richard Griffin
In a society where beliefs and individuals can be immensely polarized, a Holt senior is aiming to use fitness and fun as a means to unite the Holt-Dimondale community. Since the summer of 2018, senior Annie Hoang-Pham has been preparing and planning for a township-wide bike tour, on behalf of the Holt High School National Honor Society, entitled “District Pride, Community Ride.”
Originally brainstormed by Superintendent David Hornak, Hoang-Pham has been on a mission to create unity across the Holt-Dimondale community.
“I have talked to some Dimondale business members and they have said that they feel left out of Holt and I did not realize that. There is [the] Dimondale Business Association and Holt Business Alliance. Why are they separate when they are in the same district?” said Hoang-Pham.
After doing her research, Hoang-Pham realized the need for an event that would bridge the gap between the school district and the businesses in the area. It would be equally inclusive of families, students, and elders in the community for a day of fun and fellowship.
Hoang-Pham happens to be president of the National Honor Society, an organization founded upon the character, scholarship, leadership, and service of high school students across the nation. Students admitted to their local chapter of the National Honor Society volunteer their time and resources to give back to the community. Elected officers, such as Hoang-Pham, are required to organize one event per year in office for fundraising and positive community influence. Seeing that this was a need, Hoang-Pham took initiative.
The bike tour will offer the option of three different routes around the township, each hitting their own school-building waypoints. There are a variety of distances: three miles, eleven miles, and twenty miles. The bike routes will be guided by the Ingham County Sheriff bike force. The routes are going to start at different times, but they are all planned to end at around the same time.
“The three-mile route is around the Holt High School Main Campus, North Campus, Horizon [Elementary], Gunn School and Washington Woods. The eleven-mile route [passes by] every school in the Holt district. The 20-mile is all the schools in Holt and the Dimondale district...” said Hoang-Pham.
“District Pride, Community Ride” will take place this Saturday, May 11 with the first “expert” route starting at 8am. The other routes will unfold as the morning progresses, and all bikers are planned to end their routes at around noon. A function will follow, including inflatables, raffles, and a space to meet new friends and gather as a community at the Holt High School Main Campus.
“Part of your ticket price will go to towards...the t-shirt you will be receiving when you arrive. 70 percent of the [total] proceeds are going to NHS to go towards community service projects... [The] other 30 percent goes back to the schools in the district. So, when you register to ride you can pledge your ride to a school and the school that receives the most participants get part of the proceeds. They will be split into 15 percent, 10 percent, and 5 percent,” said Hoang-Pham.
Tickets are on sale for the event now at HoltNHS.com for $20/rider.
“I am hoping to leave a positive impact on the community...,” said Hoang-Pham.
