Kids and Bikes Foundation, Santa Barbara County’s largest bicycle non-profit organization whose mission is to provide new bikes and helmets to local charities, is set to have it’s Fifth Annual Kids and Bikes “BikeFest 2009” bike assembly event. The event draws hundreds from the community who are committed to ensuring kids who don’t have bikes have an opportunity to have one.
Kids and Bikes Foundation, a local 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization, is starting the process for its Fifth Annual Kids and Bikes “BikeFest 2009” bike assembly event on Dec 5, 2009. Hundreds of members of the community are expected to join the event and assemble 650 bikes, which then will be given to local charities including The Unity Shoppe, The Teddy Bear foundation, Bishop Garcia Diego High School( Project Santa), Catholic Charities, Transition House, Devereux Foundation, United State Army Reserves, Santa Barbara Police Activates League (PAL), and the Goleta Boys and Girls Club. With each bike, a new safety helmet is included.
BikeFest 2009 is a community bike building event in which volunteers -from family and friends, local business owners, to people of all industries - spend the day together assembling all types of bikes. The bicycles range from 16” up to 26”. Volunteers can expect a good time assembling bikes, with live music and plenty of food and drink. To sign up to volunteer, please email kidsnbikessb@gmail.com.
Lou Ventura, founder of Kids and Bikes Foundation, continually works on developing relationships with manufacturers of bicycles so that the Foundation can purchase high quality bikes at a reasonable cost.
The bikes are bought with generous donations from sponsors and individuals. With more bikes needed for charities, Kids and Bikes Foundation is reaching out to the community to provide funds in order to purchase more bikes. To date, Kids and Bikes Foundation has collected $28,000 of the $50,000 needed to complete the purchase of the bikes earmarked for the 2009 holiday season. For more information to be part of the growing Foundation and to donate to buy more bikes, please go to
www.kidsnbikes.org.
“What started out as a group of friends getting together and giving away 38 bikes to individual families who could not afford a bike for their kids has grown into the largest Santa Barbara County Foundation for providing bikes to kids,” said Founder, Lou Ventura,
“People ask me, “Why bikes?,” continues Ventura, “Simply put, because every kid remembers their first bike. We’re honored to be able to provide this service on behalf of the many charities who service our community.”
The largest beneficiary of Kids and Bikes Foundation is the Unity Shoppe. Unity Shoppe, a 501 C (3) non- profit is the largest referral network for over 280 non-profit organizations in Santa Barbara County. The Unity Shoppe ensures that people in need can rely on a consistent facility where they can receive a fair allotment of better merchandise year-round.
The thrill for a child to receive his or her first bike is a dream come true. Santa Barbara PAL has been a big supporter and recipient of new bikes from Kids and Bikes Foundation.
“Many of the children that Santa Barbara PAL serves would never experience the excitement of getting a new bike during the holidays Without Kids & Bikes Foundation,” said Officer Kent Wojciechoski, Vice President of the Board of Directors for Santa Barbara PAL. “You cannot buy the look on their faces when they receive the bike of their dreams.”