MOUNT VERNON, WA (October 2024) – Children of the Valley, a free referral-based after-school program for under-resourced children in Skagit Valley, partners with the nation’s largest statewide non-profit, Cascade Bicycle Club, to introduce an after-school bike club for middle schoolers located in the Mount Vernon, Burlington-Edison, and Sedro-Woolley school districts.

 

The after-school bike club will begin in the fall of 2024 and empower middle schoolers to learn the basics of riding a bike, including bike repair skills, bike laws, and the benefits of bicycling for health and transportation. Participating youth will also have the opportunity to earn a bike of their own.

 

“Our partnership with Cascade Bicycle Club supports COV’s priority to provide middle school support through enriching activities. The after-school bike club will help alleviate pressure experienced by families who need assistance with after-school care and provide safe, positive spaces for children to grow and connect with friends within the community,” said the Executive Director of Children of the Valley, Flora Lucatero.

 

“Partnering with Children of the Valley helps support our mission to bring people together to experience the joy of bicycling through transportation, recreation, and friendship. We want to make biking accessible to all, no matter the age. Our team is excited to assist Skagit’s youth by offering this after-school bike club. We hope middle schoolers will leave this club feeling confident and excited to ride their new and existing bikes within the Skagit community,” states Cascade Bicycle Club Youth Development Program Officer, Jacquelyn Billups.

 

Funding for this bike education program comes from Washington State’s Climate Commitment Act, which supports the new School-Based Bicycle Safety Education Program created by the state Legislature and the Washington State Department of Transportation.

 

Learn more about the Statewide School-Based Bicycle Education initiative at cascade.org. Learn more about the Climate Commitment Act, which puts cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health, at www.climate.wa.gov.

 

Do you love bikes and want to teach young people the joys of bicycling? COV will be hiring staff members to implement this fantastic new program. For more information on this partnership, and how you can get involved, contact COV’s Executive Director, Flora Lucatero, at flora@covmv.org.

 

About Children of the Valley
Founded in 2006, Children of the Valley provides safe, compassionate, and enriching after-school support for under-resourced children in Skagit Valley. In partnership with the Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley, and Burlington school districts, we serve students K-5/6 who are referred by a school teacher, counselor, or administrator for exhibiting substantial personal or academic need. Free to the families and students we serve, our program provides daily instructor-led academic assistance, enrichment activities, and social-emotional learning opportunities, in addition to assisting families with meeting basic needs

 

About Cascade Bicycle Club
Cascade Bicycle Club, the nation’s largest statewide bicycling nonprofit, serves bike riders of all ages, races, genders, income levels, and abilities throughout the state of Washington. We teach the joys of bicycling, advocate for safe places to ride, and produce world-class rides and events. Our signature programs include the Seattle to Portland, Free Group Rides, the Pedaling Relief Project, Your Streets Your Say advocacy training, the Bike Walk Roll Summit, Let’s Go, and the Major Taylor Project.