Fight childhood obesity and the onset of diabetes
by getting kids back outside, having fun, and getting exercise
by riding BIKES...
In year one our belief was that giving a bike to a child right in front of their classmates would inspire the whole class. Now in year 3, we are seeing that we were correct. last year we saw kids helping their classmates, as well as seeing some of these kids at other events receiving awards for their effort at school and in the community. We talk with mids at different events and many times the kids will tell us how hard they are working because they want to be considered as a recipient of a bike.
THE MISSION
We know the kids we reward are from low-income families. These families usually don't have the means to buy bikes for their 1, 2, or 3, kids. These kids could give up, but they don't. Instead, they show up to school and have good attendance. It would be easy for many of these kids to have poor negative attitudes but they don’t. Instead, they’re in school with good positive attitudes. These kids are working hard to turn their grades around or they are maintaining a high grade point average. We believe their families would do what we are doing if their situation was different. So we are helping by rewarding these kids for not giving up and excelling in school and working toward a brighter future.
You might be surprised, but the childhood obesity rate in California is over 20%. The % goes up as the socio-economic status drops in the community. National City is one of the poorest cities in San Diego County. It's no coincidence that National City holds the highest childhood obesity rate in the county. These kids today in National City and other cities are using mobile electronics and playing these elaborate gaming consoles instead of playing outside. Our mission is to get kids out on bikes enjoying being a kid and the side effect they don't realize is, that they are exercising. There are so many benefits to riding a bike, but just the fact that more kids will be out on bikes vs sitting looking at a screen is a big WIN in my opinion. Here is a link to some statistics (CLICK HERE)
National City has the highest Diabetes rate in San Diego County. This is due to many factors like ethnic background, low quality of available fruits & vegetables, and a disproportionate number of fast food places. So giving kids a tool that allows them to get regular excise disused as fun times riding around on a bike, then there is a chance of reducing the onset of diabetes. Having an opportunity to experince the fun and joy of bike riding could carry on into their adult lives helping them to live happier & healtheir lives.
I bet you can imagine being eight or ten years old, and regularly seeing kids with cool new toys and gadgets. It would be easy to get depressed knowing your family has priorities that come ay before buying you new stuff to play with.We believe that by awarding the bikes to the kids in front of their classmates, creates an option for the kids. They could easily be upset about their situation, maybe even be mad at mom or dad, but seeing their classmate receive a bike for working hard, give them all the opportunity to shift from what I can't have to what can I do to earn something new.