360 Local Students Receive Free Bikes from “Every Kid Deserves a Bike”
Published on May 10, 2024
Program expands to eight South San Francisco Unified School District schools to provide students from low-income families with free bicycles, helmets, and training
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 10, 2024 –360 school students from the South San Francisco Unified School District pedaled away in their new bikes, thanks to South San Francisco’s award-winning program “Every Kid Deserves a Bike.”
The “Every Kid Deserves a Bike” (EKDAB) program was championed by Vice Mayor Eddie Flores and launched in May 2022 by the City of South San Francisco, in broad partnership with educational businesses, civic organizations, and volunteers, to connect children from low-income families with outdoor experiences and growth through free bicycles and support. To date, 860 students have received bicycles from the program since 2022.
“The program was first inspired by the idea of helping kids get outside during the pandemic,” shared South San Francisco Vice Mayor Eddie Flores. “But the program has not only outlived the pandemic, its purpose has expanded to promote safe routes to school and help eliminate the financial barrier that’s prevented families from providing their kids with their own bike.”
In addition to receiving a brand-new bike, students received a helmet fitted to each student’s head size by San Mateo County’s Safe Routes to School staff and South San Francisco CERT volunteers. The South San Francisco Police Department then registered each bike on-site.
Bike safety skills and “rules of the road” training was provided by Safe Moves and each bicycle went through a rigorous safety inspection from Local Motion BikeMobile. Students also received fun stickers and art supplies to customize their new helmets and received tote bags filled with bicycle-riding essentials: a bike lock, a bike pump, bike lights, and other supplies.
South San Francisco’s Public Safety and Equity Commissioner Bianca Bedigan came out to volunteer at the first distribution, “The highlight of my day was watching some kids ride a bike for the very first time, completely fearless. It excites me to know that they left today not just receiving a bike, but learning how to ride it as well.”
This year, thanks to an earmark of $200,000 from the State of California that was championed by Assemblymember Diane Papan, the program expanded to 360 students from Buri Buri Elementary School, Monte Verde Elementary School, and Ponderosa Elementary School in addition to Los Cerritos Elementary School, Martin Elementary School, Parkway Heights Middle School, Spruce Elementary School, and Sunshine Gardens Elementary School.
TheEvery Kid Deserves a Bikewas recognized by Silicon Valley Bike Coalition as the 2022 Program of the Year, and is also supported by the SafeMoves, Silicon Valley Bike Coalition, and Expertise Moving Company.
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About the City of South San Francisco
The City of South San Francisco proudly remains The Industrial City, a reflection of its steel mill and ship building past, redefined to reflect the innovative, entrepreneurial, and industrious spirit which has made South San Francisco the Biotech Capital of the World, with 217 active biotech companies and growing. A vibrant community of 64,601 residents, South San Francisco enjoys a high quality of life with an extensive public parks system, active library and learning programming and a dynamic, engaged community making South San Francisco a great place to live, learn, work, and play.
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