Gearing up for a fun filled year on the dirt!

Archive Post from February 9th, 2017

2016 was a year of positive forward momentum for Trips for Kids (TFK)!Trips for Kids (TFK) has made great strides as an organization. We have been very busy refining, updating and improving our organization and programs and we are excited to share key updates, highlights and areas of upcoming opportunities with you.
In 2016, 1,597 youth across the San Francisco Bay Area experienced the transformative power of the bicycle through our cycling programs.
Trail Rides: 141 rides / 1352 kids
Earn-a-Bike: 235 classes/96 kids
Mobile: 127 classes/149 kids
Total: 1,597 kids

Looking ahead, TFK Marin plans to grow our Bay Area activities, namely:

• Increase our programming to reach more than 2,000 kids in 2017.
• Partner with more schools and agencies by securing new ride locations and hosts for equipment pods.
• Raise more programmatic funding through expanded social media campaigns, major donor introductions and strong community and corporate partnerships.
• Build more Bay Area awareness of our organization through supporters like you!

Our mission and work have never been more important than right now.
Children today spend less time outdoors and more time in front of screens - watching television, movies and using computers, tablets and iPhones - than any other generation in American history.  On average, children only spend 4 to 7 minutes playing outdoors, compared to more than 7.5 hours consuming electronic media for entertainment (Kaiser Family Foundation). 

More screen time means more time spent sitting. Children around the world are leading increasingly sedentary lifestyles. Young people who engage in excessive sedentary behavior are also more likely to have lower academic achievement, poorer motor skills, and lower quality of life (Common Sense Media). According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “studies have shown that excessive media use can lead to attention problems, school difficulties, sleep and eating disorders, and obesity.”

The percentage of children with obesity in the United States has more than tripled since the 1970s, and today around one in five school-aged children has obesity (cdc.gov). The World Health Organization has declared childhood obesity a global epidemic and one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. Globally, 81% of adolescents do not achieve the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

The time to get more kids on bikes is NOW!

​We have found the bicycle to be one of the most powerful tools available to engage, educate and empower children. Over the last 28 years, we have used the transformative power of the bicycle to help kids reach their full potential and develop healthy lifestyles, environmental awareness and self-confidence - all while having fun!

Since 1988, kids have burned 7,624,000 calories on TFK trail rides!“Biking gives our kids a chance to be kids with each other, challenge themselves, and see another side of their city. A lot of our students wouldn’t get a chance to ride without Trips for Kids. TFK gives our students from very intense and some extremely impoverished areas of San Francisco, a genuine and needed opportunity to enjoy and embrace physical activity and nature. It allows us to offer a wonderful outside experience for our youth every year. Services like TFK are essential in supporting public schools with minimal budgets to provide valuable and fun biking experience! Thank you so much!”

We are gearing up for a fun filled year on the dirt - JOIN US!Going for a ride with TFK is easy and so rewarding. After you’ve registered, just bring the riders and lunch and we’ll provide the rest: bikes, ride leaders, helmets, gloves and water bottles.

We take trips nearly every day, year-round. The cost of a ride to an agency is $25 for a “Single Ride” (4 – 8 youth and up to 2 staff) and $50 for a “Double Ride” (9-16 youth and up to 4 staff). A refundable deposit is also required.
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We are booking rides for spring and summer RIGHT NOW. Reserve a ride today and get your kids out on the trail with Trips for Kids!

Sources:
Kaiser Family Foundation (2010). Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds.
Common Sense Media (2012). Children, Teens, and Entertainment Media: The View From The Classroom. A National Survey of Teachers About the Role of Entertainment Media in Students’ Academic and Social Development.
American Academy of Pediatrics. Media and Children Communication Toolkit. https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/pages/media-and-children.aspx.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Childhood Obesity Facts. https://www.cdc.gov.
World Health Organization (2016). Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. ​