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To celebrate the holidays this December and give back to the community, SBT hosted Ride & Read Sundays. There has never been a more perfect year to spend time riding bikes outside and reading at home. SBT distributed 500 children’s books and 100 helmets over the first three Sundays in December. The company also partnered with BikeSport, a bike shop in Tampa, to do free bike repairs for children in the community.  Greg Pickren, owner of SBT, commented: Cycling is one of my favorite hobbies. Over the years, our companies have given away bikes to the children in the community for Christmas. It dawned on us that some of these bikes might be in need of simple repairs. We thought that hosting an event that encourages healthy living and literacy might be the perfect way to give back to the community in 2020.  SBT also handed out 100 helmets to the kids in the community. Sage Pickren added, “I work in a research lab that studies educational brain science. We use fMRI scans to examine how children learn to read. We were happy to give away helmets to encourage the kids to protect their brains while they ride their bikes.” The last Sunday was rescheduled due to uncharacteristically bad weather in Florida. Luckily, SBT was able to reschedule the event to the day before Christmas Eve (12/23/20). As is tradition in North Greenwood, O’Neal and Neidra Larkin gave out donated toys to the kids in the neighborhood. They set up their tables in the Watercraft Superstore parking lot right next to SBT’s book table and gave away an awesome selection of toys!
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In October 2020, Greg Pickren acquired a new company in the marine and powersports industry, Hydro-Turf. The company manufactures traction mats for personal watercrafts. Greg relocated the company from California to Florida in December. During the move, he decided to donate three forklifts, nine overseas containers, office furniture, pallet racking, and shelving to the Salvation Army in Anaheim, California. The donation is estimated to be valued at $100,000. Greg Pickren further explains his decision to donate: We were happy to find out that the Salvation Army in Anaheim was Hydro-Turf's next door neighbor. After touring their facility and seeing the wonderful work they were doing, we decided to donate some of the equipment that we acquired. Their distribution center houses a lot of supplies that helps veterans, victims of domestic abuse, and the homeless in the greater Los Angeles area. We hope that this equipment can make their facility more organized and efficient, so they can continue to fulfill their mission and serve the community.  4XPRO and SEI were happy to support Oldsmar Cares' annual Christmas Celebration. This year, to keep things socially distant, Oldsmar Cares hosted a toy drive-thru. Families in need registered for the event and ordered what toys would be best for their children. Then, volunteers stuffed their trunks full of personalized goodies. The hottest items were new bikes, donated by SEI. 4XPro donated $1,000 to the event to purchase other toys and much-needed items.  50 bikes in SEI's factory assembled by factory employees.  Justin Webb, manager of SEI, assembled a team to drive over the bikes in trucks the day before the event to make the special delivery. He also personally donated the majority of the helmets needed for the bikes. Justin Webb comments: We are always happy to donate to Oldsmar Cares because they help us give back to the local community that has supported us for many years. I love promoting healthy living in the Oldsmar community by donating bikes and helmets to allow our kids to spend time playing safely outside.”  Above our some of the bags of toys that were given to families in the drive-thru. Kathy Wallace, Chair of Oldsmar Cares, said, We are so happy 4XPRO was able to donate $1,000 to our Christmas celebration. One of the biggest requested items this year was clothes, which shows how much this community is struggling during 2020. We are so thankful we were able to purchase these items and toys for the kids in the community. Thank you, 4XPRO and SEI! Each year, the Pickren family donates to one of our favorite non-profit organizations- Clothes to Kids. 4XPro was excited to donate $1,000 to the charity this November. Kim Pickren volunteers weekly at Clothes to Kids and explains how things have changed during 2020: I love helping families shop at Clothes to Kids for their school clothes. This year, we had to get creative because of Covid-19. Instead of having families inside of our store, we did the shopping for them and created bags of clothes for them to take home. Kids grow so quickly and clothes are expensive. I love volunteering at Clothes to Kids because it makes the children in our community feel proud about their appearance and helps them dress for a successful future.   Watercraft Superstore donated $100 to Oldsmar Elementary School for their annual walk-a-thon. This year, to keep the event socially distanced, students participated in the walk-a-thon virtually by logging their walks, bike rides, and runs during the month of October. Stephanie Mosny, manager of WCSS, said: I love that our company can support local public schools. My son goes to Oldsmar Elementary and he always loves participating in the annual walk-a-thon. The school has over 650 students and it's fundraisers like these that make sure all the students are getting a high-quality education and are being supported with the resources they need to succeed.  In August 2020, SBT donated $2,300 to Susan G. Komen to support breast cancer research. Kim Pickren comments on the donation: We were disappointed that our team could not do the 3-day walk this year because of the pandemic, but we are happy that scientists are still supported by this organization to do research that helps women suffering from breast cancer. This is an issue that has affected many of my close friends and SBT's donation makes a meaningful difference. Marine Mat, Eastlake Axle, and SEI each purchased a $500 brick at Oldsmar Cares to support the charity's general funds and services. In addition to the company donations for bricks, another $2,500 was donated in cash. Oldsmar Cares is a nonprofit organization that supports families in the community by providing stop gap rent and utility money, a food pantry, and a clothing closet. All day-to-day operations and management are completed by volunteers. In May, 2020, SBT donated $5,000 to Eckerd Connects to support their adoption program. During the COVID-19 global pandemic, many families are suffering economically. A private adoption in most states can cost $30,000. Eckerd Connects reported that they had many families in their program who were about $800-$1,000 short in completing the adoption process when the pandemic struck. SBT donated money to aid families in completing the adoption process during this difficult time. Teresa Spann, SBT CFO, commented:We realize that during the COVID-19 pandemic many families are struggling to make ends meet. The virus has affected so many aspects of our own lives at work and at home. We hope that through this donation, families in our community can have an added layer of security through adoption. To learn more about Eckerd Connects, visit their website: eckerd.org. On December 22nd, 2019, hundreds of toys were given to children in need in the North Greenwood community. SEI and the Pickren family were proud sponsors of the event. SEI employees collected toys at the factory and donated them to the toy drive. Each year, beloved community members, O'Neil Larkin and Nedra, organize and run the toy give away. Children of all ages gather to receive a wrapped Christmas present.  Community members gathered the day before the event to wrap all of the toys!  SBT and WCSS employees serve turkey, corn, rolls, and greens to community members. This year on Sunday, November 24th, SBT and WCSS proudly hosted the annual North Greenwood Thanksgiving Dinner right in their front yard! For over 15 years, hundreds of community members have gathered to share a meal and celebrate the successes of the community for which they are grateful. In the past, this event has been graciously been hosted in O’Neil Larkin’s front yard, but this year, the event moved a few yards down the street in front of the SBT and WCSS factories. Greg Pickren, SBT owner, explains this year’s change: We are always so impressed with the turnout at the annual Thanksgiving dinner. With the help of many community members, particularly our good friend O’Neil Larkin, this event has become a very successful and joyous celebration that we look forward to every year. To accommodate the large number of guests that share a meal together, we moved the location to our factory. This change will allow SBT and WCSS to continue their on-going support of the North Greenwood community for years to come.  A full Thanksgiving dinner was provided to over 1,500 people courtesy of SBT, WCSS, and the North Greenwood community. Clearwater mayor, George Cretekos, welcomed community members at the event. Attendees ate good food, shared stories about the community, and enjoyed the entertainment!  |
AuthorSage Pickren Archives
December 2020
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