BRICK, BLOCKS AND BAGS FOR BIKES
2021 Bricks, Blocks and Bags for Bikes Masonry Auction Raises $79,600
In an auction fueled by the Texas masonry community, SPEC MIX, LLC, raised a record $79,600 through its Bricks, Blocks and Bags for Bikes charity auction. The money raised will be used to purchase nearly 1,300 bicycles for underserved children in the Dallas-Fort Worth community.
This is the third year SPEC MIX Regional Manager, Trey Harris, has organized the Christmas charity auction. The previous two year’s combined, the Bricks, Blocks and Bags for Bikes campaign has raised more than $110,000, helping to purchase over 2,000 bicycles. Teaming up with Larry Sauls and Friends, Harris and the SPEC MIX team will put together and deliver a personal record number of bicycles to donate for distribution through WFAA’s Santa’s Helpers.
Harris said, “I can’t even believe it. Every year we set out to break last year’s fundraising effort, and every year I’m blown away at how generous the Texas masonry community is. The fact that we can say we are giving 1,600 bicycles to kids in our community is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
2020 SPEC MIX Charity Auction Rallies Texas Masonry Community to Donate $60,000 for Dallas-Ft. Worth Children.
This is the second year for the masonry auction. Last year, SPEC MIX raised $50,000 and with the help of Larry Sauls and Friends donated 2,000 bicycles to Santa’s Helper.
SPEC MIX Regional Manager Trey Harris said, “I feel so blessed to honor my late friend Mike Blackburn, the man who inspired us to start this auction. We couldn’t believe how generous the masonry community was last year, and they stepped up again to make our Christmas donation the biggest it’s ever been.”
2019 BRICKS BLOCKS AND BAGS FOR BIKES CAMPAIGN
What started out as an innocent idea, slowly turned into something more for SPEC MIX Regional Manager, Trey Harris. During the 2018 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 North Texas regional series, Harris wanted to hold an auction geared towards Texas mason contractors in honor of his late friend and long-time business associate, Mike Blackburn.
Blackburn had a passion for the Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch, and it was only natural that Harris would try to raise as much money as he could to help support that particular organization. Harris contacted industry friends and supporters, getting them to donate various construction related items in his first ever attempt at an auction. His efforts proved more than successful, raising over $30,000 for the Boy’s Ranch.
The seed was planted, and in true Trey Harris fashion, he had to go bigger and better for 2019.
To up the stakes at the 2019 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 North Texas event auction, Harris and the SPEC MIX sales team hustled to gather even more donations and reached out to additional willing participants. While handing over a generous donation for the Boys Ranch was something Harris would always cherish, he felt the need to try to make a bigger impact closer to home.Reaching out to local Dallas ABC affiliate, WFAA, Harris was able to get in contact with Chief Meteorologist, Pete Delkus. The two worked out a plan to donate bikes for underprivileged kids in the Dallas – Ft. Worth area through WFAA’s non-profit, Santa’s Helpers, who run a charity toy drive right before Christmas every year. The bikes would be delivered live on their 10 PM newscast.
– Pete Delkus
Harris named the auction “Bricks, Block and Bags for Bikes”. Local and national construction companies donated different types of material, and all proceeds would go to building as many bikes as possible.
Area mason contractors opened their hearts and checkbooks, helping to raise $50,000, enough to build 1,000 bikes, “I couldn’t believe it,” Harris said, “I started working on this about two months before the event. Our community is the best. Next year we may try to beat our record and raise $75,000 and build 1500 bikes, who knows.”
Once word got out about the success of the Bricks, Blocks and Bags for Bikes campaign, Harris was connected with Larry Sauls and Friends, another non-profit who has been supporting the Dallas community since 2001.
Larry Sauls and Friends, along with Academy Sports, helped match the 1,000 bikes donated through the SPEC MIX auction, doubling their efforts.
– Larry Sauls
With a new total of 2,000 bikes to be delivered, Sauls found a local warehouse to have all of the bikes constructed. The end result was a sea of bikes, all needing to be transported so they could be distributed evenly throughout local organizations who specialize in assisting families in need during the holidays.
Delkus was surprised at the size of the donation and remarked, “When I heard that you guys were donating 2,000 bikes, I was blown away. We’ve never had anyone do that before.”
Two by two the bikes were loaded into more than ten semi and flatbed trailers and transported to a nearby warehouse. It took a crew of 15 nearly 12 hours to complete the task. One QUIKRETE flatbed truck, loaded with 165 bikes, made its way downtown as part of the backdrop for the WFAA evening newscast, where the donation amount was revealed.
Harris would like to thank all of the sponsors who came together to make help him achieve his goal: Skinner Masonry, GG&S, Artisan Masonry, DMG Masonry, A Star Masonry, Dee Brown Inc, Ranch Masonry, Texas Building Products, Adams Supply, Southwest Scaffolding, Holcim Cement, ACME Brick, Alliance Materials, Multiquip, SPEC MIX, Sunbelt Rentals, Advanced Architectural Stone, Spec Rents, Dallas Cast Stone, United Rentals, Prosoco, Ventures Equipment, Cisco Supply, Texas Stucco Supply, Grand Prairie ISD, Hohmann and Barnard, and Gatorback Mortarboards.
