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It looks like we are pretty much finished with all the snow, and I have seen lots of kids out on bikes in the last week, so it is also time for kids to start thinking about joining the Youth Activity Center Trips For Kids chapter bike club. Some really good friends of the YAC built a large shed as an addition to the YAC building last year for the purpose of storing the donated bikes so that the kids in the club would always have nice bikes to ride.
Major corporations in the United States feel so strongly about getting kids on bikes that they donate some really nice equipment and supplies to kids through the program called Trips For Kids. In our case, Trek Bikes donated five brand new Trek mountain bikes.
Clif Energy Bars donates a fresh supply of energy bars every year to each chapter so that the kids will have a good source of energy when they ride. Other companies donated helmets, first-aid kits which they replenish every year for free, and other bike-related supplies and equipment.
Specialized Bikes is another major bike company that has recently entered the picture and they are also donating bikes and offering free tune ups at the Specialized Bike Shops. Luckily for us, our one professional bike shop in the county carries both Trek and Specialized bikes and the shop is well-supported by the company reps who regularly visit the shop and give clinics.
To qualify for the free stuff, TFK chapters must conduct at least six rides per year. The Santa Fe Trails Bike & Coffee Shop and volunteers from the Leavenworth Bike Club serve as mentors for the kids.
Most of the rides are conducted within range of the YAC and are usually on the Three-Mile Creek Trail or somewhere similar.
Brendan Sheehan takes the kids and adults to Lawrence to ride the Levee Trail at the end of the year for a celebration ride.
The YAC provides excellent snacks of good healthy food for everyone after each ride, so parents really should make sure that they encourage their kids to join the TFK bike club. Kids do not have to own a bike to ride with the club, although it is possible that there could be a day when there are more kids than bikes, but that has not been a problem yet.
I donated one pretty nice mountain bike recently since we had changed to a hybrid and I believe that I have another mountain bike that I will likely donate to the program. The point is that kids that do not have bikes can join the club and have a pretty nice bike to ride for each event.
TFK requires that there be adult mentors for the kids on each ride. I look at the program as being the equivalent of a Big Brothers Big Sisters program on bikes.
I especially like the fact that the program offers kids the chance to get outdoors with adult supervision and to get some exercise.
Regular exercise has been linked to making kids better learners who do well in school. No doubt regular exercise also helps keep kids fit and trim.
Six rides per year will not be enough exercise for anyone, but if the kids learn to enjoy the benefits of bike riding, hopefully they will make that life style change that will result in better health and better grades in school.
Hopefully they will get a bike of their own and do a lot more riding. As was pointed out at a recent Lions’ Club luncheon by a Saint John Hospital Physical Therapist, a recent oldest lady in the world rode her bike until she was 100 years old.
Hopefully, the TFK kids at the Youth Activity Center will develop that mind set that permits them to ride for their entire life. The place to start right now is at the YAC.
Matt Nowak lives in Lansing and works as a natural resources manager.
It looks like we are pretty much finished with all the snow, and I have seen lots of kids out on bikes in the last week, so it is also time for kids to start thinking about joining the Youth Activity Center Trips For Kids chapter bike club. Some really good friends of the YAC built a large shed as an addition to the YAC building last year for the purpose of storing the donated bikes so that the kids in the club would always have nice bikes to ride.
Major corporations in the United States feel so strongly about getting kids on bikes that they donate some really nice equipment and supplies to kids through the program called Trips For Kids. In our case, Trek Bikes donated five brand new Trek mountain bikes.
Clif Energy Bars donates a fresh supply of energy bars every year to each chapter so that the kids will have a good source of energy when they ride. Other companies donated helmets, first-aid kits which they replenish every year for free, and other bike-related supplies and equipment.
Specialized Bikes is another major bike company that has recently entered the picture and they are also donating bikes and offering free tune ups at the Specialized Bike Shops. Luckily for us, our one professional bike shop in the county carries both Trek and Specialized bikes and the shop is well-supported by the company reps who regularly visit the shop and give clinics.
To qualify for the free stuff, TFK chapters must conduct at least six rides per year. The Santa Fe Trails Bike & Coffee Shop and volunteers from the Leavenworth Bike Club serve as mentors for the kids.
Most of the rides are conducted within range of the YAC and are usually on the Three-Mile Creek Trail or somewhere similar.
Brendan Sheehan takes the kids and adults to Lawrence to ride the Levee Trail at the end of the year for a celebration ride.
The YAC provides excellent snacks of good healthy food for everyone after each ride, so parents really should make sure that they encourage their kids to join the TFK bike club. Kids do not have to own a bike to ride with the club, although it is possible that there could be a day when there are more kids than bikes, but that has not been a problem yet.
I donated one pretty nice mountain bike recently since we had changed to a hybrid and I believe that I have another mountain bike that I will likely donate to the program. The point is that kids that do not have bikes can join the club and have a pretty nice bike to ride for each event.
TFK requires that there be adult mentors for the kids on each ride. I look at the program as being the equivalent of a Big Brothers Big Sisters program on bikes.
I especially like the fact that the program offers kids the chance to get outdoors with adult supervision and to get some exercise.
Regular exercise has been linked to making kids better learners who do well in school. No doubt regular exercise also helps keep kids fit and trim.
Six rides per year will not be enough exercise for anyone, but if the kids learn to enjoy the benefits of bike riding, hopefully they will make that life style change that will result in better health and better grades in school.
Hopefully they will get a bike of their own and do a lot more riding. As was pointed out at a recent Lions’ Club luncheon by a Saint John Hospital Physical Therapist, a recent oldest lady in the world rode her bike until she was 100 years old.
Hopefully, the TFK kids at the Youth Activity Center will develop that mind set that permits them to ride for their entire life. The place to start right now is at the YAC.
Matt Nowak lives in Lansing and works as a natural resources manager.
