Second Annual Bikes for Kids Utah Event Deemed A Great Success, Despite Cold Temperatures and Rain

(PRLEAP.COM) SALT LAKE CITY – October 11, 2007 – In spite of rain and cold temperatures, Bikes for Kids Utah secured the funds and volunteers needed to distribute free brand new bicycles, helmets, bike locks and bicycle safety instruction to 1,000 underprivileged Utah second graders, Saturday October 5, 2007.

Saturday’s event also included 3K family and 50K fundraising rides and an exclusive ride with Dave Zabriskie, a Salt Lake City native and the third American ever to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. Proceeds from the rides went towards providing the different items given to the children that day.

“Bikes for Kids Utah was successful on so many fronts,” said Debbie Reid, founder and executive director of Bikes for Kids Utah. “We had great support from the community, Dave Zabriskie, sponsors, presenters, volunteers and the cyclists. Seeing a smile on the face of one child while receiving a bike was enough. Seeing hundreds of smiling faces made it even better.”
Throughout the event, hundreds of Utah second-graders were greeted by more than 60 volunteers and sponsors who distributed bikes and accessories. Volunteers also led students through a bicycle safety fair. Students and their families walked from tent to tent collecting bicycle accessories, being fitted for helmets and watching a bicycle produce enough energy to turn on a light bulb, a display provided by Murray City Power, among others.
“This event is like the trick or treat of Halloween and the anticipation of Christmas rolled into one for these kids,” said Rachael Bess, mother of Trishan Bess, a second grader from Sandy Elementary School. “This new bicycle is all Trishan has talked about for the last two weeks. You can be sure nothing was going to keep him from coming today.”
Bikes for Kids Utah is funded through multiple sponsorships, a fundraiser dinner and silent auction and various fundraising rides held on the same day the bicycles were give to the children. One of rides participants contributed $1,000 to ride 50k with Dave Zabriskie, the current two-time national time trial champion and the third American ever to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France.
“Cycling has been a huge part of my life,” said Dave Zabriskie, Salt Lake native and Tour de France stage winner. “It has provided me with a lot of freedom and taught me that exercise, discipline and responsibility can be fun. It felt good helping the kids get their new bicycles and I hope they have as much fun with their bikes as I do with mine.”
The Bikes for Kids fundraiser dinner and silent auction held Friday October 5 at the Hidden Valley Country Club, raised more than $11,000 through dinner tickets and donated auction items. Donated items included a Halo Xbox and 52-inch flat-screen TV from Costco, sunglasses from Smiths Sport Optics, fragrant gift sets from Nordstrom, autographed sports artwork of Stuart O’Grady, Lance Armstrong, Apolo Ono and Chad Hendrix by local teenage artist TJ Eisenhart, and numerous gift certificates by local vendors and sports teams, to name a few.
Bikes for Kids Utah also benefited from generous personal donations including $10,000 from Dave and Ginger Marshall, from Salt Lake City. Marshall was injured by a car while riding his bike. After using the insurance settlement to cover his medical bills and to replace his bike, Marshall donated the remaining portion of the settlement to support Bikes for Kids Utah. Dave and Ginger also attended Saturday’s event as volunteers handing out the bikes.
In conjunction with Bikes for Kids Utah event, the inaugural Yield to Life Time Trial Challenge was held Friday, the day before the bike giveaway. Yield to Life is a non-profit organization founded this year by Zabriskie to help educate automobile drivers and cyclist on how to safely share the road. Proceeds from the Time Trial Challenge help fund the Yield to Life organization.
In an effort to enjoy better weather for the event and ensure the children more riding time on their new bikes, next year’s Bikes for Kids Utah events are tentatively scheduled for summer 2008.
Current Bikes for Kids Utah sponsors include:

Bikes for Kids Utah’s title sponsors are Auquafina, Costco, Intermountain Financial Group, Mass Mutual, Murray City Rotary, SoBe Life Water and the Utah Grizzlies. For a complete list of sponsors, please visit http://bikesforkidsutah.com/sponsors.shtml.

For more information about Bikes for Kids Utah, please visit www.bikesforkidsutah.org. Photos of the Bikes for Kids Utah event will be posted to the Web site later this week.

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