Video: Share the Ride and Trips for Kids, Marin County

In 1996 Marilyn Price thought how nice it would be if the kids she served meals to at the local local homeless meal program could be with her on a ride up Mount Tamalpais above San Francisco. As she pedaled she thought about how these kids would likely never get that kind of exposure to the outdoors, let alone physically push themselves but instead spend their lives exposed confined in the concrete jungle of the city, exposed to drugs and crime.

This is where her idea for Trips for Kids began.


In 1998 the foundation took shape and now today in 2015 there are Trips for Kids chapters all over the world, in 85 different locations giving children the chance to ride and experience bicycles. In Marin alone, Trips for Kids takes about 1,400 on rides and serves another 500 in their bike mechanics training program each year. Internationally, they serve about 14,000 kids a year on rides and have served a total of 140,500 since inception. Since the international chapter program began in 1999 Trips for Kids have added about 7 – 10 new chapters each year. In total, they have started 120 chapters and 90 exist today.

In 1994 the Re-Cyclery bicycle thrift shop, and an Earn-A-Bike program was born in Marin County. In addition to providing great deals on bikes and parts and affordable transportation for Bay Area residents, the shop funds a majority of Trips For Kids program costs. Meanwhile, the Earn-A-Bike program teaches youngsters valuable life skills in a safe environment.




Each year, at the Re-Cyclery, local children are invited to the annual Trips for Kids Christmas party. Each child's name is drawn from a hat and they get to chose a bike of their choice, either that has been refurbished or donated. This year, Share the Ride sent ten brand new Giant bikes and helmets to the party to pitch in.

The party was a huge success and Trips for Kids shared a little video and some pictures with us from the event.

www.tripsforkids.org