SALT LAKE CITY – May 21, 2011 – Just in time for summer vacation, 1,000 pre-selected second graders received brand new bicycles, helmets and a t-shirt from the Bikes for Kids Utah Bike Giveaway. The May 21 festival-style event, held at the Intermountain Medical Center parking lot in Murray, Utah, also included a Bike Safety Rodeo and nutrition instruction. Greeted by more than 150 volunteers, students and their families walked from tent to tent participating in educational presentations about healthy nutrition by Intermountain Medical Center staff, and helmet fittings and a Bike Safety Rodeo operated by volunteers.
When asked about his experience at the Bikes for Kids giveaway, Jacob Pryor, a second grade recipient from Sandy, said, “My favorite part about today was getting to try out the track [bike rodeo]. I learned hand signals, how to stop, turn left and turn right.” He was also excited to get his bike home and “ride it around the block with my friends.”
Parents echoed similar sentiments as they watched their kids receive unassembled boxed bikes. Recipient families had the option to either take them home to assemble, or build them onsite with the help of several Boy Scouts working towards their Eagle Scout award and bike shop mechanics from around the area.
“My son was just really excited about today. He was excited to help make coloring books for Primary Children’s Hospital and was even more excited when he found out that he was going to get a bike,” said Dina Bain, parent of an Alta View student recipient. “His dad also likes to ride bikes, so I imagine they’ll be riding a lot together this summer.”
New to this year’s Bike for Kids Utah application process, elementary schools and community outreach programs committed to completing a service project with their students before receiving their promised bicycles.
“When you ask people about their first bike, most people can’t help but light up. They remember the freedom and the ‘king of the world’, ‘I can conquer anything feeling’ they experienced as a kid,” said Debbie Reid, Bike for Kids Utah founder. “Today we’re teaching about health and we’re teaching about safety but above all I hope the kids remember the joy they felt here and the giving. I hope they go out and become healthy, active givers who work to be the change they want to see in the world.”
The next Bikes for Kids Utah fundraising event will be the inaugural Bikes for Kids Utah stage race August 5-6 followed by a dinner/silent auction Sept. 23 at the Varsity Room in Rice-Eccles Stadium. More information about the stage race and fundraising dinner can be found online as it becomes available.
The Bikes for Kids Giveaway is made possible through help of volunteers and donations made by individuals and companies such as A-Core Concrete Cutting, Alder Construction, Blackbottoms Cyclewear, Elements Wilderness Program, Fifty Studio, Honey Bucket, Larry H. Miller Charities, Mass Mutual Financial Group, Rotary Club of Murray, Skyline Electric Company, SOAR Communications and Sorenson Legacy Foundation.
Those interested in becoming corporate sponsors, giving individual donations or volunteering their time should visit www.bikesforkidsutah.com, or call 801.656.0472 for more information.
About Bikes for Kids UtahBikes for Kids Utah is a non-profit organization formed in 2006 that provides bicycles for underprivileged children throughout the Salt Lake Valley. It generates support for its cause through its event registration proceeds, auctions, and private and corporate donations. Bikes for Kids’ annual bicycle fundraising events, including casual road rides, timed road races and a dinner auction, raise money to provide 1,000 underprivileged children with new bicycles each year. For more information about the events, please visit www.BikesorKidsUtah.com or call 801.656.0472.
