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Three years ago I bought one bike, last year I bought 100 bikes, and Christmas 2006 was even more awesome because I was able to buy 320 bikes for the needy kids in Monroe County . We gave 50 away with the Salvation Army in Marathon, 50 with the Fire Dept in Key Largo , 120 to Key West Shelters, the Guardian Ad Litum Program, Boys and Girls Club and Just 4 Kids. 

Then on Christmas Eve we had a great party for 100 kids whose names were given by their teachers, nurses, churches and friends. These were kids whose parents weren’t signed up for any kind of aid but who really needed it.  The kids thought they were coming to a cookie party with Santa. We had Santa on a balcony singing carols and had all of the bikes covered with blue tarps with Construction Warning Signs to camouflage them. Santa announced that because they were the most important kids in the Keys, he had stopped by with a special delivery before he started his worldwide journey. Then he said “OK kids, turn around and find your name on your brand new bike!” 

The kids turned around with amazement and started running as fast as they could towards the bikes.  It was a moment I will never forget to see how happy those kids were.  It was so obvious that most of these kids had never had a new bike before. There were several kids who carefully took all of the tags off and folded them neatly, putting them in their pockets before getting on the bike.

You could tell how much they treasured the gift. Then there was the 15 year old boy who shouted “This is the most awesomest bike in the world. Check it out – the brakes really work.”  Or the single Mom who was so thrilled with her son’s bike – only to notice her name on a ten speed with an infant seat which would be her new mode of transportation instead of the bus! 

She kept saying, “Is this mine? Is this really mine?”  And the Mom and Dad who silently watched with tears running down their faces as all SEVEN of their children found their names on a new bike. But my favorite story came after Christmas when the Supervisor of one of the Key West Centers called us to tell us that her newly arrived four year old boy, who had never really had a Christmas before, loved his Spiderman bike so much that he draped his arm over the front wheel after dinner and slept all night on his bike, just to make sure he didn’t lose it before the morning.

 

Thanks to the generous donations from Bruce Hurley, Tom Painter, Robert Allen, Rob McFadden and the enlightened students of EWI and MPC – we had the greatest Christmas yet!  Our bike give away could never have taken place without the great volunteers who helped – Brian from DRN Moving, Amanda, Susan, Bob and their team from Habitat, Lynn and Dee Dee from The Salvation Army, The Key Largo Fire Department, First Baptist Church in Marathon, Marie of Kmart in Marathon, McArthur Dairy, Winn Dixie Big Pine, Terri Miller and her music machine, Capt Bill & his magicians, Myra Allen for face painting, Tom and Sandy, Kelli, Dave for photos, all those who baked cookies, Peter and Ryan at Furniture NOW, Big Pine Fire Department and Cudjoe Sheriff’s Station.

And especially my Mom, Dad, GrandMom and GrandDad – We all worked together and made something awesome happen!

 

 Thank you , Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!    JJ Bright

PS… Can’t Wait Til Next Year!

Raising Money With Robert Allen at EWI

This year it took three sessions to ring up almost $14,000.00 !!

So many bikes it took 4 deliveries even though we had this big moving van !

Bikes, Bikes, and more bikes!

Preparing the bikes for Christmas Eve Giveaway.

Setting up for the Christmas Eve Party.

Santa Arrives On The Big Fire Truck.

Unveiling the bikes and the kids running to find their name.

Fun helping the kids load their bikes to go home!!

Happy kids heading home for a Merry Christmas!

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Hello, And Thanks For visiting my site. My name is J.J. Bright and I am a 14 year old real estate investor.

I started working for my parents on their fixer-uppers when I was 8. I was in charge of demolition. I loved to beat the cabinets out with a sledgehammer and rip the tile off the walls with a crowbar. Among other things, I had to take out all of the construction debris, paint, and do concrete work.

As I got older, my parents let me invest my hourly wages into their projects and then I got a percentage of the profit. I made over $5,000 that way and had enough to invest on my own. I am now working on my fourth deal.

My net worth is over $100,000 in cash and equity, and I think real estate is awesome.

The main reason I have this website is to record my progress, establish a network of enlightened real estate investors, and to raise money to buy bikes for needy kids.