MILWAUKEE — This Saturday Shake James, owner of Black Market MKE and founder of JAY Academy, is hosting a "Black on the Block" event where hundreds of bikes will be given away to kids in the community. Kids must be present to receive a bike and they must bring their report cards so teachers can talk about education. “We have a bunch of Barbie bikes over here,” says James.
The Spider-Man and pink Disney bikes will soon go to kids in the area so they can experience the joy of riding. “I think they’ll be very happy, and it will bring them so much joy,” said Milwaukee resident Demya Decou. This is the second year Shake has thrown this event—last year giving away 300 bikes, and this year, even more.
“This year we’re giving away 400,” said Shake. In addition to the bikes, teachers from Siefert Elementary School will be on hand to stress the importance of education. "We want kids to bring their report cards so we can stress the importance of education," Shake explains.
One of those teachers, Dannette Justus, an educator with a passion for reading, will be there talking about her weekly read-aloud videos through her YouTube channel, Dannette . Her hope is to encourage continued learning through the summer months. “My hope is that I’m able to encourage them to read with resources.
I have a weekly read-along that I do called JustUs and Books, so I’ll be sharing that information with them and speaking to parents about different things they can do to help preven.
