One of the less-publicized but still important programs Yamaha leads is its Outdoor Access Initiative. Essentially, its goal is to promote the safe, responsible use of off-highway vehicles and to protect appropriate, sustainable access to public lands.
But it also helps fund donations of Strider bikes for kindergarten physical education (PE) classes around the country through the All Kids Bike Kindergarten PE Learn-to-Ride program that began in 2018. Its mission: Give every child in America the opportunity to learn how to ride a bike in school.
Yamaha provides grants each year of $10,000-15,000 per school for the donations and tries to tie them to schools that are nearby races or other events running concurrently. Its latest presentation was at the Earl N. Jenkins Elementary School, and it was held in conjunction with the annual SHOT (Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trades) show in Las Vegas. (Not all schools get the bikes donated; many schools hold fundraisers or simply have the budget to purchase bikes outright.) While Earl Jenkins Elementary has benefited from mini-training camps by the Raiders pro football team and Golden Knights ice hockey team, the All Kids Bike program is geared toward kindergarteners. After all, the earlier kids start on two wheels, the more likely they’ll foster a lifelong passion for bikes—and, possibly, motorcycles. The 24 Strider balance bikes presented stay with the school for future kindergarten PE classes (along with helmets, rolling storage racks, and kits to convert to pedal power as the kids progress).
John Long, the Physical Education Specialist at the school, was all-in, as riding mountain bikes is something he and his own kids are passionate about. “This is beyond generous and what I love so much about this is [that it’s] just going to go on year after year after year after year, and we’re going to be known for such a beautiful program.”
There are several All Kids Bike National Ambassadors who should be familiar to motorcycle racing enthusiasts, such as JD Beach, Kristen Beat, Mark Blackwell, Josh Hayes, Troy Lee, Johnny Lewis, Jared Mees, Roland Sands, Andrew Short and Cody Webb. For more information, visit www.allkidsbike.org.
Click here to read the Yamaha Grant Funds Strider Bikes Donation for Vegas Kindergarten PE in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
