By TOM HANLEY, CEO, Nine13sports
This week, Nine13sports will celebrate the 94th graduation of our Kids Building Bikes program. At its core, Kids Building Bikes is about access: to tools, to confidence, and to opportunity. While students earn a brand-new bike, the real value lies in what they gain along the way—confidence, practical skills, and a growing sense of independence. They also walk away with hands-on experience in mechanics, problem-solving, teamwork, and perseverance.
This kind of experiential education matters—especially for students who haven’t always had easy access to resources like this. It equips youth with real-world skills, workforce confidence, and a clearer understanding of what they’re capable of achieving. These are the same foundational traits we look for in tomorrow’s workforce. And while we often talk about test scores and technical credentials, what we’re really talking about is readiness—for responsibility, for learning, for growth.
At Nine13sports, we work with students from across Central Indiana—urban, rural, all backgrounds and abilities. The students we serve are diverse in every way, but they leave our Learning Lab with one thing in common: they’ve accomplished something with their own hands, and they know what it feels like to succeed. Some walk into our building quiet and unsure, hesitant to even pick up a wrench. Four weeks later, they’re confidently explaining torque and tire pressure to our staff and riding off on their brand-new bike. That transformation never gets old. It never stops feeling important.
Programs like Kids Building Bikes don’t just teach technical skills—they build confidence, focus, and follow-through. They help students see themselves in new ways. And that self-belief? That’s the foundation of success in any career path.
As Indiana’s business and civic leaders focus on building stronger talent pipelines, I hope they’ll also look toward programs and partnerships that reach students early—where learning is hands-on, relevant, and rooted in confidence. We have seen it first-hand: when you empower a young person to build a bike, you’re also giving them the tools to build what’s next.
To learn more about Kids Building Bikes or support our work, visit: https://nine13sports.org/kids-building-bikes/
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