On a Saturday morning in late September, Livano residents in four different states tried something most had never done before: building bicycles.
Building meaningful connections is a core pillar of the Livano lifestyle, and Livano Serve Day was designed to foster camaraderie among neighbors while also serving Livano’s broader communities. “We wanted to do something to create additional value for Livano residents,” says Tiffaney Alsup, LIV Development’s Managing Director of Asset Management, “so we looked at it from the perspective of creating value in community. We realized this was a way to further enhance the sense of community while filling people’s cups in a different sense.”
For the inaugural Serve Day event, Livano partnered with The Leaders Institute’s Build-A-Bike initiative, which delivers unassembled bicycles to groups wanting to give back by holding a bike-building activity. A Build-A-Bike representative helps structure the event, perform quality checks, and encourage participants to have a good time as they work. The assembled bikes would later be donated to kids in need through local Boys & Girls Clubs.
Victoria, a resident of Livano Grand National in Orlando, liked the idea so much she postponed a weekend trip so she could be there to help. She says the project exceeded her expectations. “I thought we would get there, put the bikes together, and go home, but it was more than I thought it would be. It was really interactive.” She adds that the residents were grouped into teams and completed challenges that encouraged group-wide collaboration.
“It got us all talking to one other, and that was fun. Everyone was enthusiastic and excited to be part of it like I was.”
The group was a mix of individuals and families; Victoria’s team even included a father and his toddler daughter. “We got her involved, too,” Victoria laughs. “She was in charge of throwing away the trash.” Other people just happened to walk by and ask what they were doing; many of them decided to join in, too.
Doug Staneart, CEO of The Leaders Institute, says that through the efforts of volunteer groups like the Livano teams, the organization has donated more than $8 million worth of bicycles to kids all over the world.
Staneart says every project is customized for the volunteer group involved. Livano wanted participants to come away with two things: the gratification of knowing they’d made a difference, and a closer connection to their neighbors. “So it’s fun, it’s high-energy, it’s networking, and it’s team building,” he says. “Then there’s an emotional ending when the bikes are donated to kids in the local community.”
At Livano Grand National, the volunteers were able to see two children come to pick out their new bikes. “It was so cute to see the joy in their faces,” Victoria says.
In total, 221 residents assembled 100 bikes for donation, and participated from communities across four states:
Livano at Town Madison in Huntsville, Alabama
Livano Grand National in Orlando, Florida
Livano Pflugerville in Austin, Texas
Livano Canyon Falls in Northlake, Texas
Livano Trinity and Livano Nations in Nashville, Tennessee
Staneart loves to share the impact of the work the volunteers are doing. “There are stories that really hit home,” he says. “I was at one event where we had the guy who ran the local Boys & Girls Clubs, and afterward he had a tear in his eye. He pointed to a boy and a girl who were riding their new bikes around, and he told me that the little boy had come to him worried his little sister didn’t have any presents under the Christmas tree. And now they both had brand new bicycles.”
Alsup participated in Serve Day at Livano at Town Madison. “It was cool to be a part of that and for the residents to have an impact within their city versus just donating to a cause and hoping you did some good,” she says. “They put some sweat equity into it.”
She continues: “One of our core pillars at Livano is meaningful connection, and this event plays into our goal to be more than just a place to live. It gives you a bigger purpose and way to live.”
Victoria echoes that. “I’m a fairly social person already,” she says, “but I feel a little bit more connected to my community now because of that experience.”
With the success of the inaugural Livano Serve Day, LIV Development is already exploring ideas for next year’s event. “There are so many opportunities out there to serve our communities,” Alsup says, “and whatever project we choose, we look forward to making the event and its impact even bigger next year.”
