"EVERY KID
NEEDS A BIKE"
Pedal it Forward gets Northwest
Arkansas on wheels
By Randy Rice • Special to Official Kids Mag
Hey kids, you probably already know Northwest Arkansas is one
of the coolest places around to ride your bike. Cities like Bentonville,
Fayetteville, Rogers, and Springdale, as well other smaller towns,
have lots of great bike trails and safe places to ride. Many of the local
business and organizations have invested to help build the trails, too.
The Walton Foundation alone has invested $74 million in the region's
trails, which now make up a network of about 350 miles of mountain
biking trails, including more than 130 miles of paved paths.
With so many great places to ride your bike, one organization has
decided to do something to make sure everyone has a bike to ride.
The mission of Pedal It Forward is to increase the number of people
using bikes for health, transportation and recreation. They provide
bikes to those less fortunate in Northwest Arkansas. While the
program provides "free" bikes, they do suggest people pay $20 for a
bike, or whatever they can. Pedal It Forward also provides free helmets
with every bike.
Pedal It Forward was started about five years ago by three guys who
enjoyed riding the trails in Norwest Arkansas together: Justin Tubb,
David Tovey and Gary Vernon. They were out riding together one
day and just came up with the idea to give some bikes away for the
upcoming holiday season. That year they wound up giving away over
100 bikes. It was so successful that they soon added volunteers to
help out.
Last November they hired Don Butcher to manage the program.
"Just to see the look on the faces of adults or children when they get a
bike is just amazing," Don said. "We are up to over 40 volunteers and
always looking for more."
How does it work? Pedal It Forward collects used bikes, fixes them,
then distributes the bikes to those in need through over 60 "Pedal
Partners"—places like the Arkansas Correction Center, Salvation Army,
homeless shelters and the Veterans Administration.
Pedal It Forward serves rural and urban low-income kids, adults
and families, at-risk youth, minority and immigrant populations in
Northwest Arkansas.
"We give away all kinds of bikes, all styles, all sizes to all kinds of
people in need: toddlers to the aged to the physically challenged,"
Don said.
You can donate a bike and help "Pedal It Forward" yourself.
Your family can be part of Pedal It Forward's mission to get
Northwest Arkansas on wheels. Do you have a bike you've outgrown
or no longer need? You can help another kid get a bike!
8 • Off icialKidsMag.com • OC TOBER 2019
