Leaders from AdventHealth campuses in Johnson and Franklin Counties participated in a community service event in October 2025, assembling and donating 25 new bicycles to children and families throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area. The initiative was part of the Ultimate Bike Building Program, held in partnership with LEVEL12.
Teams from AdventHealth collaborated to build both new and brand-name bicycles that were distributed through several local organizations supporting students and families. Brendan Johnson, president and CEO of AdventHealth Ottawa, joined other leaders for the event.
“As a community of leaders driven by our mission of extending the healing ministry of Christ, we selected this program to benefit our community of neighbors knowing that, for children, bikes build character and confidence,” said Dave Kennedy, MDiv, DMin, Vice President of Mission and Ministry at AdventHealth Mid-America Region. “The newly built bicycles were donated to six local organizations, each with a unique plan to use the bikes to inspire, reward, and support children.”
The recipient organizations included Boone Elementary School and Indian Creek Elementary School with Center School District; Growing Futures Early Childhood Center in Overland Park; Child Abuse Prevention Association; Life Spring Church with Spring Hill SOS Event at Spring Hill School District; and Shawanoe Elementary School with Shawnee Mission School District. Each organization plans to use the donated bikes as rewards or support items for students or families participating in various programs.
“Every day at AdventHealth, we look for new ways to give back to the community we love and care for,” said Sondra Wallace, Director of Community Benefit at AdventHealth Mid-America Region. “We believe that caring for the whole person – body, mind and spirit – is what matters most. Giving children the chance to feel whole by getting access to a bike, a staple of childhood, is one of many ways we are caring for them now and caring for their future.”
AdventHealth has supported similar initiatives since 1962 as part of its commitment to compassionate service and regional impact.
AdventHealth operates as a connected care network in Kansas City with more than 4,000 team members across several locations. Nationally, it employs over 100,000 people providing care through more than 2,000 sites including hospitals like AdventHealth Orlando, which was founded in 1908 in Orlando, Florida. The hospital serves as both a pediatric center and training facility under current president Terry Shaw.
For further information about AdventHealth’s services in Kansas City visit AdventHealthKC.com.
