Ride Along with GFCC!

On a Monday in March, Terri Ziegelbauer got to experience first-hand what we do here at The Good Fight Community Center and ride along in the van with the kids. She is a GFCC supporter and personal friend of executive director, Nate Coleman. 

So, Terri, how did you learn about the Good Fight Community Center?

“Through a friend who is the person that started the center [that would be Nate]. 

In conversations with him, I learned about what The Good Fight offered and thought it was a wonderful idea.”

When Terri stopped by for a tour, Nate had to go pick up the kids from school, so he invited her to ride along. The first stop on our southside route is Spence Elementary school, where there’s always a race for the “shotgun” seat next to the driver. Imagine Julia’s surprise (that day’s winner of the race for the front seat) when she threw open the passenger

door and found “her” seat already occupied! She took it in stride, however, and climbed in the back- but she had questions!

“Are you going to be our new driver?”

“Why are you here?”

“What is your name?”

 

Well, Julia wasn’t the only one that was surprised that day! What was the most surprising thing that you learned on the ride-along, Terri? 

“The amount of children that they needed to pick up, the variety of ages, and also the things that they talked about. I do not spend much time around children and was just enlightened by the conversations that I would hear from the children getting on the bus about their days at school and experiences they had.”

Had you been involved with The Good Fight prior to your ride along?

I was involved in supporting The Good Fight in a few ways, including at their first annual golf outing, which was so much fun, the way they ran it and the things they offered, and I got to have fun doing something I love.”

What would you say to encourage others to participate in a ride along?

“The ride along was very worthwhile. It was eye opening and gave me an idea of what The Good Fight does on a daily basis other than just providing programs at their center. When they go stop at these schools and pick up these kids it’s eye opening- I would’ve never had the opportunity to see and understand any of that in the situation I am in. Even once we got back, I went in, and I watched them go in, and the opportunities The Good Fight provides for these kids after school is just amazing. I had no idea that a lot of these kids would have no way home otherwise, or that a lot of these children may not have the opportunity to eat unless they went to The Good Fight. There are opportunities for things for them to do other than stare at their phones. It gives them some direction, and that amazed me. I couldn’t believe the kids at all these schools are struggling that much or don’t have someone to pick them up, and I was so glad there is someone that offers them opportunities. It was so different when I was a kid. It felt good in a lot of ways.”

 

Thanks, Terri, for riding along with us, and for supporting us in fighting the good fight!

If you’d like to help kids get to and from The Good Fight,  you can donate today and keep us “bussin’ “! (as the youths say…)