Justin Chenette
  • Bio
  • Commissioner
  • State Govt
  • Projects
    • Speaker
    • Author
    • Consulting Firm
    • Age Friendly Saco
    • Southern Maine Planning & Development Commission
  • Scholarships
  • News
  • Contact

Saco Bikes for Kids Reaches Goal of 25 Bikes

7/25/2013

0 Comments

 
SACO, Maine – An inaugural ride held today on the Eastern Trail capped off the successful fund raising work of Saco Bikes For Kids and showcased 25 new trail bikes for Saco Parks & Recreation to use in its summer camp and afterschool programs. 
Picture
 “Today we celebrate the business leaders and citizens who supported our campaign. One year ago we mobbed 400 kids and camp counselors onto the John R. Andrews Bridge over Route One and kick-started our community outreach.  Throughout the summer and fall as we knocked on doors, distributed email alerts, and posted Facebook updates, we encountered many fans of the Eastern Trail and Saco Parks & Rec. Thanks to our strong community support, local kids will spend many summers enjoying the special treasure of the Eastern Trail,” said Representative Justin Chenette, a founding organizer of Saco Bikes for Kids.

The 25 Diamondback Trail Bikes were purchased from Quinn’s Bike Shop on Elm Street in Biddeford. The bikes were selected for boys and girls ages 8-11.

“We organize our camp programs into teams.  Throughout the summer, teams will take turns exploring different sections of the Eastern Trail.  We plan to bus the kids and trailer the bikes to a starting location.  Then the bus will drive ahead and pick up the kids after they travel off-road sections of the trail at various spots between Kennebunk and Scarborough,” said Kevin Lombard, program director for Saco Parks & Recreation. 

The campaign was supported by 46 contributors, as well as a penny fundraiser organized by the kids at Saco Parks & Recreation.  Major corporate donors included:

General Dynamics; Peoples Choice Credit Union; Hannaford; Saco & Biddeford Savings; Pate Motor Co.; Garland Manufacturing Company; Norway Savings Bank; TD Bank; Saco Valley Credit Union; Bangor Savings Bank; and Paquin & Carroll Insurance.

“Bike skills, safety appreciation of nature, and physical activity are a few of the benefits that hundreds of children will now have access to. All bikes are equipped with bottle holders and each rider receives a helmet. We also purchased tools for any repairs that are needed on the trail,” said Bob Hamblen, president of the Eastern Trail Alliance.

Saco Bikes for Kids was founded in July of 2012 as an ongoing collaborative project with the goal of getting the next generation active on the Eastern Trail.  In addition to Chenette and Hamblen, Saco resident Melissa Field is a founder.  Joe Hirsch, Director of Saco Parks & Recreation, along with Lombard, also helped organize key aspects of the project. 

Plans for another initiative, one involving technology, are underway and will be announced in the near future. 

"While it took us a year to complete this project in full, we are looking towards the future at other ways of getting our next generation active on the Eastern Trail and in our community," says Chenette.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Latest Updates


    Archives

    July 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    September 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    January 2021
    August 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    RSS Feed

Picture
Email:
justinchenette@gmail.com
Paid for & Authorized by Justin Chenette
  • Bio
  • Commissioner
  • State Govt
  • Projects
    • Speaker
    • Author
    • Consulting Firm
    • Age Friendly Saco
    • Southern Maine Planning & Development Commission
  • Scholarships
  • News
  • Contact