Hampden-Sydney College’s (H-SC) Cycling Club and Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) honor fraternity joined forces in raising more than $5,000 to buy new bikes and helmets to reward hardworking students at Prince Edward County Middle School (PECMS), a recent H-SC press release reported.

Officials stated in the release that at the root of this idea was H-SC Cycling Club President Andrew Howell, a junior biochemistry and molecular biology major who wanted to empower middle schoolers to develop strong study habits and positive behavior.

“Middle school is a perfect place to start good habits in preparation for high school,” Howell said in the release.

Senior David Fluharty, H-SC Cycling Club vice president, echoed this idea in the release.

“So many students miss out on opportunities because they’re not motivated in high school, so we thought we could incentivize a good work ethic early,” he said. “We especially wanted to reach those who didn’t already have those good study habits in place.”

Howell and Fluharty devised a plan to reward middle school students with a ticket voucher every time they successfully turned in their homework or were recognized for good behavior, officials cited in the release. Officials added that PECMS Principal Thomas Foster helped devise the details of the reward system so the competition would be fair for all students.

The release noted that middle schoolers earned tickets January-April, then entered them in a raffle drawing for a new bike at the end of the spring semester. The more assignments they completed, the better their chances of winning a bike. The Hampden-Sydney students even created an inspiring name for the program, based on the Prince Edward County Eagles mascot — “Taking Flight.”

With a plan in place, the H-SC Cycling Club needed to raise more funds than its budget would allow to make the program successful, so the club contacted Sandy Cooke, director of civic engagement at Hampden-Sydney, who suggested a fundraising collaboration with Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society at the college, officials said. Together, Howell, Fluharty and ODK President Hayden Gunn, a senior, successfully raised enough money from the Hampden-Sydney community — more than $5,000 — to purchase 24 Schwinn all-terrain bicycles with accompanying safety gear.

Officials in the release stated that Gunn, an engineering physics and chemistry double major, enthusiastically stepped in to help contribute to the fundraising campaign. He said, “Being a leader of leaders is a unique position to be in,” since it allowed him to bring leaders from many student organizations together for this project.

Finally, on April 18, PECMS students excitedly gathered to witness the raffle drawing and announcement of the winners, the release highlighted. Twenty-four lucky and hardworking students — 12 girls and 12 boys — took home brand new bikes and helmets.

“It has been a joy working with these Hampden-Sydney students and watching their ideas come to life while inspiring the children of Prince Edward County,” Cooke said in the release.

Officials concluded the release by providing further insight into Hampden-Sydney’s Cycling Club, which is only a few years old but already has a lot going on. Members ride on and off campus at least once a week — on roadways and on Hampden-Sydney’s Wilson Trail — and they perform regular maintenance on Wilson Trail. With assistance from Director of Outdoor Adventure Scott Schmolesky, they also hope to have a new bike rental program for Hampden-Sydney students up and running by next fall.