When Laz Parking decided to hold a Bike-A-Thon™ to benefit local kids in LaJolla as part of its all-hands meeting, they wanted to make the event meaningful, too.

All-Hands Means All-In For La Jolla, CA Team

The company goal for this event was to improve the group’s teamwork skills. They wanted employees to appreciate others’ differences. They hoped everyone would see how those differences added value, whether it was working toward a specific project or part of day-to-day workplace activities. We met with the 150 attendees at the Hilton LaJolla Torrey Pines. This was in a huge ballroom that was ideal for our Bike-A-Thon™. It was roomy and full of the natural daylight that sunny Southern California is known for.

We opened with several warm-up activities to help folks transition from training all morning. Do What I Say got a lot of laughs. So did Air Counting. Both helped get people in the mode of listening to others, and highlighting the communication pratfalls that can befall any of us. Laz Parking’s in-house team arranged teams ahead of time. And so within a few minutes, teams were organized and ready to go.

A Seaside Bike-A-Thon™ Makes Waves

A typical Bike-A-Thon™ includes several games and activities where participating teams earn bicycle parts when they win. Everyone in this group was competitive, which made games like Blind Ball Drop, the Selfie Challenge, and Group Writing fun. What’s more, these games required new ways of thinking and interacting to boost communication skills! As participants picked up on this, the pace of winning increased. So did the level of enthusiasm for the Bike-A-Thon™.

Once the teams had scored the parts they needed, we moved on to bicycle assembly. A new round of challenging activities required teams to use those new communication skills to put the kids’ bikes together. Laughs and cheers swept through the room as teams raced to be the first to finish their projects. With just a few minutes to spare, the last few nuts and bolts were turned, and all the bikes were complete.

A Surprise For – And From – Centro Cristiano Amigos

We announced at the beginning of the Bike-A-Thon™ that the bicycles were to be donated to a local non-profit organization, Centro Cristiano Amigos. Its ministries reach out to men, women, children, and families. So folks were ready when Rafael Osegueda arrived toward the end of the event to accept the donation of the bicycles. What folks didn’t expect was for him to come with dozens of children and their parents!

The children were thrilled, and their parents were obviously touched. There was hardly a dry eye in the place as Mr. Osegueda make a few brief remarks. He thanked the Laz Parking employees for their hard work and their generosity. He talked about how Centro Cristiano Amigos helps local kids and their families, and how much new bikes meant to these kids.

It was an amazing experience for all involved, and one that won’t soon be forgotten.