About 50 attorneys from Citigroup were surprised by their evening activity. At the end of the first of two days of meetings they joined together in a beautiful setting to take part in a team building exercise. The exercise turned out to be the opportunity to build bikes for at risk third grade children from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northern Westchester.      On the schedule was just a time slot entitled “Team Building.” But when they entered the room with tables set around and another table that housed bicycle parts they quickly knew this was more than just a lecture or games. After a brief introduction the teams received their assignment- to build 8 bikes to go to a local charity. It wasn’t as easy as just building the bikes; they encountered some problems along the way that had them working together and seeing each other in a little different light than they might normally. In the end the bikes were completed and the real surprise was when the children who were receiving the bikes were introduced to receive them.

It was an evening of surprises. The attorneys didn’t now they were going to do bike construction; they didn’t know the children would be there to receive the bikes; and even the children weren’t aware that they were getting bikes until they arrived at the facility. One of the thrilling highlights was when Matt, one of the bicycle recipients, presented a thank you plaque to Katie Kessler, the principle organizer of the event.  After the program was over everyone enjoyed meeting the children and spending time reliving the event. There was a fantastic feeling of camaraderie and generosity within the group. I talked to several people, and perhaps one of the third grade girls, wearing her new bicycle helmet summed it up really well. I sat down with her and said, “Wow! Hot chocolate and cookies, a new helmet and a brand new bicycle, a pretty neat night, huh?” Her response choked me up, “This is the best night ever!”

A big thanks to Katie Kessler; the Citigroup committee that chose the Build-A-Bike team building event; and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northern Westchester for making a truly worthwhile and memorable event. And a special thanks to Jill Franco for her help in the logistics of putting the program together Thanks to you all for a wonderful evening and a very special memory.