Aaron Qin, a high school freshman already looking ahead to the competition to get into a top college, is a regular volunteer at the Freewheels Houston bike shop, working alongside his dad, Richard, a passionate biker who keeps his own bikes in top condition.

Aaron said the knowledge he has accumulated about operating bikes will be useful when he enters the robotics program at school. “Through my interactions with others, I’ve become less introverted and broadened my perspective.”

“Since I’ve participated at Freewheels, I have worked on many different kinds of bikes, fixed various bike problems that I had not seen before,” Richard said. “I think this is the best outcome of volunteering: While helping others, I have also learned many new things working on bikes of all kinds.”

“I encourage everyone to volunteer at Freewheels,” Aaron said. “They offer a year-round volunteer program, and it has helped me in so many ways that I can’t even recall.”