BikeFlights is excited to join an initiative that benefits Trips for Kids, one of our long-time Buck Up For Bikes (BUFB) partners. Their Save the Earth, Ride a Bike Campaign supports program development that helps kids from across the nation get connected to the bicycle, the great outdoors and themselves.
Trips for Kids' mission is very important to us, and we're proud to help them make a difference. We invite you to join, too, and ride with us through May 31 to help get more kids on and owning bikes!
At BikeFlights, we routinely hold Wellness Challenges open to all staff. We believe in encouraging wellness through better physical, mental and emotional health for everyone, and an important part of “wellness” is the practice of giving to others and doing things for others.
We also believe in making cycling more diverse, equitable and inclusive. Trips for Kids does incredible work giving many disadvantaged kids all over the U.S. the opportunity to learn to ride, get bikes and fix their bikes, thus enabling the kids' own personal growth and development.
So… putting that all together, we have chosen to participate in the Save the Earth, Ride a Bike campaign as Team BikeFlights and have challenged our staff to ride 100 miles per month in both April and May for a total of at least 200 miles before the final day, May 31, 2022. While our staff normally earns $100 to successfully complete a Wellness Challenge, this time everyone is donating their earnings to Trips for Kids, and BikeFlights will match those donations, meaning that for every staff person who logs the 200 miles, Trips for Kids will receive a total donation of $200.
Staff who can’t or who choose not to log the miles may instead fundraise $100 for Trips for Kids, and BikeFlights will match their contribution.
Bicycling is a personal experience, and how you participate in the campaign is up to you. You may choose to ride on your own or ride as part of a team. In either case, you can set and manage your own personal goal of miles ridden or funds raised.
We hope you'll participate and can't wait to see how many miles everyone rides as we get our spring season underway!
Sign up for Trips for Kids Save the Earth, Ride a Bike campaign.
We’re pleased to renew our support of the BikeFlights Buck Up For Bikes program. Through it, four national non-profit cycling organizations – Trips for Kids, National Interscholastic Cycling Association, Little Bellas and the International Mountain Bike Association – will continue to benefit from our Buck Up For Bikes program in 2022.
“It’s always been important to us at BikeFlights to give back to the sport that has given us so much, and we encourage you to do the same by donating a buck or four whenever you ship with BikeFlights,” said Sue George, Vice President of BikeFlights. “We very much appreciate the efforts of the non-profit organizations in our Buck Up For Bikes program and all that they passionately do to help more kids and adults discover the joys of riding and find more fun places to ride.”
How to Help
It’s easy to help us raise even more money for Buck Up For Bikes every time you ship with BikeFlights.com. Upon checkout, simply 1) Contribute a buck to any of the four beneficiaries; or 2) Contribute a buck to each of the four beneficiaries. We’ll take care of the rest!
We help you save a lot of money on bike shipping, so why not share some of those savings with your favorite organizations that are helping get more people on bikes?
History
Since its inception in 2016 and thanks to our customers, we have raised more than $87,000 for Buck Up For Bikes program beneficiaries.
We at BikeFlights not only collect and track all donations, but also supplement collected contributions and cover the costs of administering and publicizing the program. In addition, BikeFlights is a corporate supporter of all four organizations.
Learn more about BikeFlights’ Buck Up For Bikes Program.
Photos courtesy of our Buck Up for Bikes partners.
Buck Up For Bikes Renews Support For Four Cycling Nonprofits
We’re pleased to announce our continued support for the four beneficiaries of our BikeFlights.com Buck Up For Bikes Program: Trips for Kids, National Interscholastic Cycling Association, Little Bellas and the International Mountain Bike Association. All four national nonprofit cycling organizations will continue to be part of our Buck Up For Bikes program throughout 2021.
“This past year of pandemic living has highlighted the important role that bikes play in our physical and mental health,” said Sue George, Vice President of BikeFlights.com. “What we love about the organizations that we support through our Buck Up For Bikes Program is their passion for and effectiveness in helping more people discover the joys and benefits of riding a bike.”
How to Help
It’s easy to help us raise even more money for Buck Up For Bikes every time you ship with BikeFlights.com. Upon checkout, simply 1) Contribute a buck to any of the four beneficiaries; or 2) Contribute a buck to each of the four beneficiaries. We’ll take care of the rest!
We help you save a lot of money on bike shipping, so why not share some of those savings with your favorite organizations that are helping get more people on bikes?
History
Since its inception in 2016 and thanks to our customers, we have raised more than $76,000 for Buck Up For Bikes program beneficiaries.
We at BikeFlights.com not only collect and track all donations, but also supplement collected contributions and cover the costs of administering and publicizing the program. In addition, BikeFlights.com is a corporate supporter of all four organizations.
Learn more about BikeFlights.com’s Buck Up For Bikes Program.
Photos courtesy of our Buck Up for Bikes partners.
BikeFlights.com donated $12,000 to the four non-profit beneficiaries of its Buck Up For Bikes Program, which was originally created in 2016 to get more people on bikes. This month, Trips for Kids, Little Bellas, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) and the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) each received contributions of $3,000 per organization.
“We are pleased to have been able to continue our support for Buck Up For Bikes throughout what has been a challenging year for programs that rely on fundraising and donations,” said Sue George, Vice President of BikeFlights.com. “Trips for Kids, Little Bellas, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) and the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) all do great work, and we’re proud to help them nurture and grow our cycling community.”
“I can’t overstate the importance of our partnership with the BikeFlights.com team and their public support through their Buck up for Bikes program,” said Patricia Gallery, Trips for Kids Board President. “As a key sponsor and collaborator, they are helping to propel the Trips for Kids movement forward as we bring new chapters onboard to run more trail rides and earn-a-bike programs across North America. Thank you, BikeFlights.com, for helping us use the power of the bike to impact the lives of young riders from all communities, especially those most in need.”
Per the Buck Up for Bikes program, BikeFlights.com customers have two options upon checkout when booking their bike shipping online: 1) Contribute a buck to any of the four beneficiaries; or 2) Contribute a buck to each of the four beneficiaries. BikeFlights.com not only collects and tracks all donations, but it also supplements collected contributions and covers the costs of administering and publicizing the program.
“We are incredibly grateful to BikeFlights.com and their support of NICA through their Buck Up for Bikes program. Now, more than ever, mountain biking and the ability to get outside and ride is important for youth across the country,” said Steve Matous, NICA President. “The support we receive from BikeFlights.com helps enable us to continue our mission of building strong minds, bodies, character and communities through cycling and provide quality mountain biking programs."
IMBA Executive Director Dave Wiens said “We're grateful for the continued support of BikeFlights.com and the Buck up for Bikes program, which funds partners who introduce kids to the joys of mountain biking. BikeFlights.com knows keeping kids riding requires great trails and more trails close to home. Supporting IMBA supports trails, and more trails means more kids on bikes."
Since the program’s inception, BikeFlights.com has raised and given out more than $74,000.
“We have benefited from BikeFlights.com’s Buck Up for Bikes campaign year after year,” said Sabra Davison, Cofounder and Director of Little Bellas. “This type of sustaining support is the most impactful to an organization like Little Bellas. It's allowed us to reliably offer financial assistance and bikes to girls who need them the most.”
BikeFlights.com is also a corporate supporter of all four organizations. Learn more about BikeFlights.com’s Buck Up For Bikes Program.
Trips For Kids recently introduced Pedal Pod, a new bi-weekly podcast that broadcasts interviews among various individuals and companies who share a common interest - getting more kids on bikes! In a recent interview, TFK sat down with our Vice President, Sue George.
George shared why BikeFlights.com has chosen to work with Trips for Kids and discusses more information about BikeFlights.com as a whole; as well as what makes riding in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia so wonderful.
Listen to the podcast interview.
Tune in every other Tuesday for more interviews.
We encourage you to help support Trips for Kids, one of the beneficiaries of BikeFlights.com’s Buck Up For Bikes Program by donating upon checkout whenever you book your next bike shipment.
Earning a Bicycle Never Felt So Good to Kids in Charlotte, North Carolina
It was another hot summer day in Charlotte, North Carolina, and after months of restrictions and uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, the sounds of children’s voices were finally beginning to fill the air once again.
Photo courtesy of Trips for Kids Charlotte
Trips for Kids Charlotte’s Executive Director, Eric Supil, and Program Director, Charlotte Cadieux, were preparing to teach the first of a three-part modified Earn-a-Bike Workshop to youth from a local partner organization, Center 360, whose mission is to empower youth who are at risk of disengaging from school by providing non traditional enrichment opportunities.
Eager to have kids enrolled in the program, volunteer officers from the Charlotte-Meckelenburg Police Department brought a group of nine kids ages 9 to 11 from the center to a local church parking lot, so they could earn, learn and ride a bicycle through Trips for Kids Charlotte.
Team members from Trips for Kids Charlotte had spent many weeks planning for the event. They took extreme care under the new COVID guidelines in making sure they were fully prepared with safety measures in place for all participating youth, staff and volunteers. Prior to arriving on-site, all participants had their temperatures checked. During the event, all team members were required to wear masks and maintain social distancing in accordance with state guidelines. The location, conveniently in close proximity to a local greenway, also allowed the bicycles the kids would be earning to be properly sanitized and stored securely after each session.
Photo courtesy of Trips for Kids Charlotte
To prepare for the sessions, Trips for Kids Charlotte had previously talked to the families of the youth to find out the heights of each of their students so the correct size of bicycles would be ready for the kids once they were earned.
On the first day of class, there was excitement in the air, not just from the youth, but from the Trips for Kids staff and the Charlotte-Meckelenburg police officers who were on-site. “My sense is that the officers learned along with the youth from engaging in the program, and it was rewarding for them to connect and build relationships with each other in this unique way,” said Trips for kids Charlotte Program Director Charlotte Cadieux.
Photo by Bethanie Johnson
Standing with their bikes in a long socially distanced line across the parking lot, the Trips for Kids Charlotte leaders stood out in front of the line conducting a bike safety session followed by various demonstrations that each of the youth were required to mimic and master before moving on to the next segment. During their time together, the young riders learned techniques such as how to conduct an A,B, C bike check, use hand brakes and even safely remove their front wheel for transport.
The kids were allowed free time to ride around the parking lot at the end of each session while maintaining a safe distance apart from one another. Watching the kids progress even during one session was quite heartening. Trips for Kids Charlotte Executive Director Eric Supil said, “One of the girls was not sure how to use her hand brakes, but after a few practice tries, she was able to feel confident using them by the end of the session, which was really wonderful to see. There was also a little boy whose parents did everything they could to teach him to ride, but were unable to. By the end of session two, he was pedaling his way around the trail with the rest of the kids with this huge smile on his face. You just could not help but smile along with him.”
Between sessions, the kids returned their bicycles to be locked up. After their third and last class, each child walked away with their very own bicycle, helmet and lock.
Photo courtesy of Trips for Kids Charlotte
When asked what it was like to work with youth again after having to halt programming in March due to the Pandemic, Cadieux said, “Helping youth in our community is the reason we do this work. The hiatus was challenging because the connections and relationships with youth are what drive our mission. To reconnect with youth and engage in programs again felt like coming home after a long journey. While we were able to find creative ways to adapt our programs for COVID-19, nothing compares to the in-person interactions where we can feel and witness the joy riding bikes brings to communities.”
The outdoor Earn-a-Bike Workshop was so popular that additional sessions were created. Supil expressed the real importance of the program which isn’t just about the bicycles, “In reality, many of these youth may not have the chance to get bikes like these, let alone a helmet, lights and lock. The real takeaway though is the confidence they build by knowing how to operate their bike and that the actions they are making on the road are safe and ultimately fun! “
Trips for Kids is one of four non-profit organizations supported by BikeFlights.com’s Buck Up for Bikes Program. You can donate to Trips for Kids and help get more kids on bikes via our Buck Up for Bikes Program every time you book a BikeFlights.com shipment of your bikes, wheels or gear. Simply select the option to donate while you are checking out.
To learn more about supporting Trips for Kids or information on starting a chapter in your area, please visit tripsforkids.org. Trips for Kids thanks BikeFlights.com for their continued support of our programming and helping us get youth connected to bicycling across North America.
We at BikeFlights.com are excited to donate $16,000 to the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), Trips for Kids, Little Bellas and the Amy D. Foundation through funds raised via our Buck Up for Bikes (BUFB) program at the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships near Tacoma, Washington, on Friday, December 13, 2019. Representatives from all four nonprofits will be on hand to accept $4,000 per organization during a check presentation ceremony to be held at 4:30 pm during the daily event awards ceremony.
“Giving back to organizations that help get more kids, young adults and women on bikes is important to us,” said BikeFlights.com President William Alcorn. “We’re grateful and proud to have this opportunity to support the excellent work being done by National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), Trips for Kids, Little Bellas and the Amy D. Foundation.”
Created in 2016 to benefit NICA and the Amy D. Foundation, BikeFlights.com’s Buck Up for Bikes program has been growing ever since. Since the program’s inception, we’ve raised and given out more than $63,000.
“We are thrilled to be a recipient of the BikeFlights Buck Up for Bikes program!” said Trips for Kids Executive Director Robert Ping. “Our partners at BikeFlights.com continue to support our efforts to get kids outside and active and earn bikes of their own. BikeFlights.com helps us to change lives, two wheels at a time.”
"NICA is incredibly grateful to be included in BikeFlights.com’s Buck up for Bikes program," said Steve Matous, NICA President. "Their support is enabling us not only to get #morekidsonbikes across the country, but also help our student-athletes, coaches and staff easily and safely transport their bikes around the country!"
Per the Buck Up for Bikes program, BikeFlights.com customers have two options upon checkout when booking their bike shipping online: 1) Contribute a buck to any of the four beneficiaries; or 2) Contribute a buck to each of the four beneficiaries. BikeFlights.com not only collects and tracks all donations, but it also supplements collected contributions and covers the costs of administering and publicizing the program.
BikeFlights.com’s Buck Up for Bikes beneficiary Trips for Kids recently held an auction for a one-of-a-kind bike to raise money for their Pedaling Forward to a Brighter Future Campaign and in remembrance of comedian Robin Williams.
The bike itself, a Bianchi San Jose, is nothing extraordinarily hard to come by, but the bike’s former owner and his silver Sharpie decoration along the top tube make it quite unique.
It’s well known that comedian Robin Williams was a prolific bike collector, but he was also an ardent supporter of Trips for Kids, even serving as an Honorary Board Member.
In 2012 Williams donated to Trips for Kids, among several bags of cycling clothing, a Bianchi San Jose with a leopard print saddle. National Support and Sponsorship Manager Andy Phelps thought to have Williams leave his mark on the bike. Williams didn’t hesitate to conjure a joke no one would be surprised came from his brain. His inscription in silver Sharpie on the top tube reads, “Team Viagra: Ride hard, ride long. Robin Williams” making it a truly one-of-a-kind bike.
Last week Trips for Kids put the bike on eBay, promoting it as #RememberingRobin, in hopes of raising funds for a new 5-year, three phase initiative launching in June called Pedaling Forward to a Brighter Future Campaign.
“The auction raised more money than any of us thought it would, bringing in $2,425!” Phelps said, adding, “It just shows what a one-of-a-kind item and beloved person Robin Williams was.”
If you share in the Trips for Kids mission, envisioning “a world where kids from all walks of life have the opportunity to know the joy of riding a bike and the freedom to explore the natural world on two wheels,” there are several easy ways you can contribute:
1. Next time you ship a bike with BikeFlights.com choose to donate $1 to Trips for Kids as you check out.
2. Check out the Trips for Kids Recyclery Store and purchase some cycling gear donated by their sponsors.
3. Go to the Trips for Kids website and see how you can get involved with a chapter near you.
