Help remind Noah that hard work and honesty pays off

Noah’s dream was simple: work hard all summer, save every dollar, and buy his very own dirt bike. At just 13 years old, he mowed lawns, hauled trash, and power-washed garbage cans under the Kansas sun. After months of sweat and sacrifice, he finally had enough saved to make that dream come true.

But the excitement didn’t last. The dirt bike Noah bought on Facebook Marketplace with his hard-earned money turned out to be stolen — my stolen bike. He had no way of knowing. He did everything right, following the steps his dad taught him about making a fair deal. Then came the knock on the door: police had to take it back. Noah had done nothing wrong, yet he lost both the bike and the money he worked so hard to earn.

That’s why I’m starting this GoFundMe — to help Noah get the dirt bike he truly earned, and to show him that there’s still good in the world. Every contribution, big or small, helps get him back on two wheels.

Noah is 13 years old and lives in De Soto, Kansas. With the help of his dad, Zack, he proudly brought the bike home — not knowing it had been stolen from me months earlier. When the police came to take it away, he lost everything he worked for in one moment.

The truth is, Noah is just as much a victim as I am. The thieves who caused this are being investigated (Sedgwick County case number: 2025-00023791), but that doesn’t change what Noah lost. I remember the pride of working for the things I earned as a kid, and I don’t want him to lose that sense of pride or his belief that hard work and honesty still matter.