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Kids' Programs |
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Rides Program Each year, our rides provide hundreds of children with the opportunity to discover the natural world and the rewards of hard work on a vehicle that children love, the bicycle. Many of the children we serve have never visited natural areas outside their home cities, some have never even been across the Golden Gate Bridge. Our rides give them a unique, outdoor opportunity to work and play as a team, to exert themselves physically, and to interact with a group of caring adult volunteers who offer valuable mentoring and promote cross-cultural understanding. By the end of the day, participants have gained a sense of accomplishment and expanded both their self-esteem and environmental awareness. They have also gained a broader perspective on their life. The trips are open to community-based agencies, foster homes, and schools that serve disadvantaged youth from the San Francisco Bay Area. We lead up to six rides per week and serve over one thousand children each year. Overall, since 1990, we have taken more many thousands kids on trips and worked with over 310 agencies. Earn-a-Bike & Job Training Workshops Our Earn-a-Bike and Job Training Workshops provides youth in Marin County with a safe place to go after school. A place where they can belong to a community and interact with other kids. A place where they can receive ongoing support from caring adults. And a place where they take their first steps towards successful employment as adults. We run workshops from our own facility in San Rafael's Canal District (a primarily Hispanic neighborhood). Completing hands-on lessons in bike mechanics, bike safety, and environmental awareness, kids that participate in the Earn-a-Bike Workshops earn credits towards a bike (or parts and accessories for a bike they already have) and a helmet. In addition, many youth go beyond the basic curriculum and learn advanced mechanics. Over the years, we have hired numerous participants as Earn-a-Bike instructors, others have become mechanics and sales assistants at the Re-Cyclery. Mobile Program Our Mobile program brings the benefits of our Earn-a-Bike Workshops to youth in outlying neighborhoods. We currently lead weekly hands-on bike repair classes at St. Vincent School for Boy's in San Rafael, Walter Helms Middle School in San Pablo, Richmond High School, and the I Have A Dream Foundation in partnership with Gateway High School in San Francisco. Green Cyclers Program Our Green Cyclers program integrates environmental awareness into our Rides Program and our Earn-a-Bike Workshops. Lessons held on our rides and in the workshops teach kids that all living things are inter-connected and impact one another. During the rides, leaders conduct games and initiate discussions that raise awareness about environmental issues. And our ride leaders introduce youth to the abundant flora and fauna of Marin County's wild areas. Meanwhile, our Earn-a-Bike participants work on recycled bikes, earn credit by participating in weekly environmental education activities, and go on outings (including biking trips, an overnight camping trip and other special excursions) that reinforce environmental lessons learned in the workshops. Through these various lessons, kids gain an appreciation for nature and learn what they can do in their everyday lives to make a difference. Of course, we also lead by example. As an organization, we practice the principles good environmental stewardship. Our office is equipped with used computers, phones and furniture. We recycle plastic, glass, paper and metal. We encourage water and energy conservation. And, of course, we promote the myriad environmental and social benefits of non-motorized transportation. The Re-Cyclery The Re-Cyclery, our bicycle thrift shop in San Rafael, gives a second life to used bicycling equipment and provides affordable transportation options to low-income people. Over the past decade, we have accepted millions of dollars worth of new and used bicycles, bicycle parts and bicycling accessories from individuals and manufacturers across the country. Without the Re-Cyclery, many of these items would have ended up in the dump rather than being put to use. In fact, so many people donate to us that we have become a distribution hub for bike equipment to other youth bike repair programs. Moreover, a large portion of the bikes that we sell are bought by low-income Bay Area residents. For these people, a high-quality, low-cost bicycle is critical for getting to work, shopping, and numerous other activities. Of course, one of the biggest benefits of the Re-Cyclery is that it provides crucial core funding to our other programs. Altogether sales from the Re-Cyclery cover over 50% of our operating costs. National Program The National Program brings the benefits of mountain biking trips to disadvantaged kids across North America. Encouraged by our local success and frequent requests for advice, Trips For Kids Marin began the National Program in 1999. Our goal is to develop independent Trips For Kids chapters that operate under the same mission and are modeled after the rides program in Marin. Through agressive advertising and recruitment, we have established Trips For Kids chapters across North America. To date, we have taken tens of thousands of kids across North America on a mountain bike adventure. As more chapters pop up, the number of kids will grow exponentially. With the support of several members of the bike industry, a major incentive that we able to offer new chapters is a fleet of bikes and other essential equipment. But the cornerstone of the National Program is the extensive guidance that we give to individuals and organizations interested in starting a new chapter. We have developed a comprehensive "How To Manual" and website that provide information on everything from obtaining 501(c)(3) status to recruiting participants to fixing bikes to raising money. In addition, every year we answer hundreds of requests for specific information, provide dozens of one-on-one consultations with chapter organizers, and bring together dozens of chapter organizers for a conference in which they learn from us and from each other. For more information on the National Program, check out the Trips For Kids National website. © Copyright Trips For Kids® 1998-2006. All rights reserved. |
