Partnerships and opportunities can happen if you look in the right places.
For Janet Higa-Miller and her husband, Grant Miller, that means building upon meaningful relationships within the community made even more important especially during a pandemic.
Like many businesses affected by COVID-19, Higa-Miller and Grant — co-owners of Bike Works Kona, Bike Works Beach &Sports, Kona Sports Center, and their 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Aloha Tri Sports — were forced to come up with innovative ways to keep their companies afloat and customers engaged, while being affected by the forced cancellations of many sporting events they support year round.
“With COVID-19 applying so much pressure to everybody’s schedules and everybody’s opportunities, everything we do now is socially distanced with social distancing protocols — everything has become a lot more complicated,” Higa-Miller said.
However, even a pandemic hasn’t stopped them from giving back to the community.
With the help of their managing partner at Kona Sport Center, Brad Weinmann, Higa-Miller and her husband were able to continue fostering an eight-week internship with Innovations Public Charter School, an enriching program for students that began four years ago.
“Innovations Charter School has a program where they would find a business to intern you, and these are kids who approach businesses that they are interested in,” said Higa-Miller. “The program allows the student to actually be in the business for half a day on Fridays as this was part of their regular curriculum. And that’s how it started. A student approached Grant and asked if he would be his mentor in this internship program. So far, Grant has done three mentorships.”
Earlier this year, Weinmann was approached by student, Leo Rogers, whose interest in bikes stemmed from his father frequenting the Kona Sports Center. Over the eight-week internship, Rogers learned basic bike mechanic skills, business etiquette and how to interact with customers in a professional way while working alongside the owners and staff. After completing the program, Rogers asked if he could stay on which has now evolved into an on-going internship with Weinmann.
But the story gets more interesting as new partnerships and opportunities evolved when needed most. Enter Leo’s father, Ian Rogers, Higa-Miller’s 16-year-old nephew, Travis Higa, and Franz Weber, founder of Paying It Forward West Hawaii.
Higa-Miller said that in seeing his son’s progression from learning basic bike mechanics to more advanced skills, Ian Rogers, who is a cyclist and happens to have “a whole garage of bikes,” decided to donate four bikes to the Aloha Tri Sports (ATS) for his son and Travis to fix up to like-new conditions. The repaired bikes could then be gifted away to those in need.
“Travis lives in Tacoma and is here for the summer and we decided to add a summer internship as he is also interested in bike mechanics,” said Higa-Miller, founder and president of ATS.
“Aloha Tri Sports is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and we recently received money from an anonymous donor who will be buying the parts for these four bikes. This donor will also furnish each recipient with a helmet. We then contacted Franz Weber with his non-profit, Paying It Forward, as he would be able to find the right recipients as he knows who the kids in the community are who really need a bike. To tie it all up, Franz will find the four recipients who will receive a bike and a helmet.”
Turns out it would be a win-win for all. Leo and Travis will be able to utilize the bike mechanic skills learned through their internship for a project benefitting those in need; the bike donation from Ian Rogers will go to a good cause while helping his son advance his skills; Travis will fulfill his school requirements with a meaningful summer internship and community project; and Franz Weber will be able to further his cause toward helping children in need, one child at a time.
And for Higa-Miller and Grant, more ways to help and give back to the community during a difficult time.
In addition, Aloha Tri Sports will continue donating Keiki goodie bags containing a water bottle, kid friendly treats, and tied with a shiny race finisher medal.
“Since we aren’t able to do all of these events (due to COVID), I have all of these finisher medals that we never distributed to anybody,” Higa-Miller said. “So far we have been giving the goodie bags away to schools and varying organizations. Salvation Army, Ulu Wini Transitional Housing — they have about 200 kids and we’ve already donated 125 bags, and the children from the Kahaluu Housing Project. Currently Travis will be working on his school community project which we are going to give out another 75 goodie bag with 25 going to a different elementary school.”
Higa-Miller feels there is a renewed sense of appreciation living within a close-knit community.
“COVID-19 has been a whole educational process — everyone is trying to do their best under these very trying circumstances. And even if it’s brought out a lot of stressful kinds of things to worry about, I think it’s also allowed us to slow down, and develop ways to reconnect with many things.
“It’s enabled me to gain a new appreciation and a different perspective on everything. And just being here in Kona, I’ve come to understand how great this community is, and how many people help each other. Like learning everything that Franz does, and folding our community service into his program, we’ve made many connections this way. It’s created a lot of synergy that may have not connected people in these ways before.
