Turning the Gears for Kids

(July 13, 2012) - The story of this week's Billy Johnson Community Hero started a little over a year ago. In March 2011, Mick Polly noticed a child in his neighborhood in Whitesburg, Kentucky, trying to ride a broken bicycle. Motivated by this situation, our hero went to work. He fixed that bicycle and then another one. Next, people started bringing their old or broken bicycles to Mick, who would repair them and give them to children in need. Fixing that one bike has now escalated into an impressive total of 435 bicycles. And even if you tried, you couldn't buy one of these bicycles from Mick Polly.
     "I get a lot of people come in to buy my bikes. No, you're not going to buy a bike. I only have a couple of rules. One, you've got to be a child. Two, try hard in school. All you've got to do is say you're trying and stay out of trouble. And you have to mind your parents or grandparents, whoever is raising you."
      The word about Mick Polly's mission has spread throughout Letcher County. Now, people are bringing him bicycles by the dozen, both used and new. He even works with local churches to help children who attend but may not have a bicycle.
      "I had a church contact me here not long ago about some young children. I talked to them and said whoever can have perfect attendance for a month, I'll give them a bike. I had 4 boys and 2 little girls that went every Sunday and every Wednesday."
       Mick says that anyone can make a difference in a child's life.
      "If you don't think you can make a difference, really think again. Think about, in the case of a child, would you want someone to help your child? Next thing you know your community will get behind you. People in eastern Kentucky are so anxious to give, and they are the biggest hearted people in the world anywhere. You can make a difference in someone's life. All you have to do is want to."
       Congratulations to Mick Polly: this week's Billy Johnson Community Hero.