WATCH — Children Living in Rhode Island Motel Raise Money to Buy Bikes for Friends: ‘It’s a Good Feeling’

Children living with their mother at a Rhode Island motel are getting lots of attention for being kind to others.

Ashley Blackwood has lived with her children at the Woonsocket Motor Inn for the past two years, WJAR reported Friday.

During that time, they have become friends with the other children living there with their families and spend much of their time outside playing and riding bikes.

According to the Valley Breeze, Blackwood lives at the motel with her children, seven-year-old Tatianna, 14-year-old Christian, and 16-year-old Matthew. The article said the mother, who works as a shift supervisor at Stop & Shop, was forced to move out of her apartment building because when it was sold their rent went up and she could no longer afford it.

When another family moved into the motel, Blackwood’s kids learned their two children, Macho and Neveah, did not have bicycles.

Riding a bike is a good and fun exercise for children that also brings immense joy. Therefore, to remedy the situation and make sure their new friends could play too, Christian said they came up with the idea to raise money to buy them bicycles. They decided to sell cases of water they had on hand and ice pops to get the project started.

The group spent several days selling to neighbors and raised nearly $100.

“I thought it was great. It’s a good feeling for me as a mom knowing that my kids were raised right like they would rather do something for someone they know than keep the money for themselves,” Blackwood said, adding that she also posted about their efforts online.

They were surprised when a local Boys and Girls Club gave them a girls’ bike and an anonymous person donated a boys’ bike. Those gifts have brought joy to everyone involved in the project.

Blackwood, a single mother who is trying to find an apartment, said she wants their efforts to make a difference, stating, “I hope that this inspires other kids to want to do the same, want to help their friends, maybe it’ll inspire adults to even want to do the same.”

As of Friday afternoon, a GoFundMe for the Blackwood family has raised $110 of its $5,000 goal.