A flood of memories growing up with a father that was as much his best friend as an amazing father is what drove Nathan Pierce to start Russell’s Bikes program in 2021. As Nathan talks about his father, he expresses how Russell Pierce was a man that would do anything to help others, especially kids. Nathan fondly remembers Christmas as a special time for the Pierces. Russell would do whatever he could to bring toys to those in the area that couldn’t afford them. Nathan’s dad believed that while it was nice for those in need to get items like clothes and necessities given by charitable organizations, every kid needed something to bring joy to their lives.
Russell was a construction worker, a baseball coach, and loved kids. Nathan remembers one Thanksgiving when their house burnt down two days prior to the day. His dad, while trying to rebuild their life from this great loss, still found a way to help kids at Christmas. That year he donated toys to Blueprint kids for the holidays. “Even when he didn’t have much, he would try to give the shirt off his back to help a kid,” says Nathan.
Nathan grew up with a love of bikes that he shared with his dad. Russell thought it was especially important that a kid get to experience riding a bike. He started Nathan young riding bikes, and their love of bikes grew into Nathan participating in BMX bike competitions. Nathan remembers a Christmas when his dad asked him what he wanted. Nathan wanted a particular type of BMX bike to race. He had Nathan look through the catalogue to pick out the bike he wanted. What he wanted wasn’t the top of the line but was a bike that would give him the competitive edge he needed at the time. As Nathan put it his dad went, “above and beyond” to get him his bike. He ended up with the top of the line for BMX bikes. Nathan proudly owns this bike to this day. It’s a 1998 20” GT Speed Series bike. It was basically the bike that started it all for Nathan riding in the South Park BMX Bike events.
Sadly, Nathan lost his dad to cancer in 2020. He wanted to find a way to honor his dad. The memories of biking with his dad and his 1998 BMX bike sparked the movement to start Russell’s Bikes. A bike can be an extravagant purchase for most families. Nathan wanted to create a way to bring a bike into the lives of a kid that wanted one but couldn’t really afford it.
Last year Nathan put out the request on social media for those needing a bike for Christmas to contact him. There were no requirements to get one. Nathan learned from his dad that it was between that person and God if they were trying to take advantage of getting something free when they could afford it. It was not for them to judge.
When Nathan put out the appeal, he was expecting about 20 requests. Anyone could request a bike, including teenagers. He was flooded with requests, receiving about 100 in total. He ended up buying out an entire Walmart of their supply of bikes. Along with the requests on social media for the bikes, Nathan reached out for donors, help, and more space to accommodate all the requests.
The project first started with funds out of Nathan’s own pocket and space in his backyard. It quickly snowballed into something much bigger. The community came to Nathan’s aid with support in many ways. He received donations to purchase more bikes, Valley View farms donated the space in their wedding venue to assemble and store the bikes, and many donated their time to get the bikes ready to distribute. Ben McMillian, Neil Juran, and Andrew Gump are some of the volunteers that helped assemble and prep the bikes for delivery.
What started as a project of love and honor for an amazing father has grown into a huge occasion. Nathan is sure his father, “has been looking on from above with a big smile on his face, helping to bring it all together.” Nathan is looking forward to continuing this project in partnership with Cross Point Church in what Nathan states is, “True Russell Pierce fashion, we never want to turn a kid away in need.” FMI about Russell’s Bikes can be found on Facebook or calling/texting Nathan Pierce at 724-747-8776.
