Bikes for Kids at NAYA a great success
On Saturday, July 9th, a crew of 43 volunteers and staff from the Community Cycling Center and the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) came together to provide 59 youth with new helmets, safety knowledge and their first bicycles. This was our second Bikes for Kids of the summer, and our first in partnership with NAYA.
We held our first program with NAYA late last year, when we offered a Create a Commuter workshop to 10 adults. We were so impressed by the organization and enthusiasm of the partner staff who helped organize that workshop, and their dedication shone through once again at Bikes for Kids. Beyond registering dozens of kids, staff at NAYA set up a face-painting station at the event, barbecued hot dogs for everyone in attendance and volunteered to as escort kids as they chose their bikes.
Thanks to this support, Bikes for Kids at NAYA was a wonderful experience for everyone involved. NAYA staff laughed and picked out dream bikes with kids they see every day. Our volunteers had a blast working with such a great community, and our staff got to sit back, smile and watch as all these fine folks created an enriching and fun experience for youth and their families.
Every child learned about bike and personal safety through hands-on lessons, had their helmet expertly fitted, and then got to pick their dream ride from a sea of bikes. After a final adjustment from our crew of seasoned mechanics, the youth headed out to the bike rodeo to practice stopping, turning and high-fiving!
We would like to thank ODS for their sponsorship of both of our Bikes for Kids events, Legacy Emanuel for their generous support of helmets for this event, the friendly and hardworking staff at NAYA, and all the amazing volunteers who, every Tuesday night since March, have cleaned and repaired bicycles destined for this event.
Photo by Ben Latterell. Click here to see more great photos from the event.