While it has yet to snow in the Capital City, you may have noticed snowmen popping up at local businesses. Drawing a stark contrast to store-bought holiday decorations, these unique creations have storied pasts that start and end with Dustin LaFont and the kids he serves through his Front Yard Bikes program.

“A few months ago, I sat down with a group of kids and some scrap bike parts,” says LaFont. “I just said, ‘Let’s create.’ There were a lot of great ideas, but the idea of building snowmen really stuck out to me.”

Made entirely from old bike parts, the snowmen are the result of LaFont’s youth workforce development program, which focuses on preparing kids for adult and professional life. Over the past year, the program has grown to include welding classes, giving many of the older kids exposure to the profitable career path.

Check out the full story in inRegister’s December issue. And use #FollowtheSnowmenBR to join the conversation.