*Photo Courtesy of the City of South Francisco*

Every Kid Deserves a Bike was launched by the City of South San Francisco this year, in broad partnership with educational, business and civic organizations and volunteers, to connect children from low-income families with outdoor experiences and growth through free bicycles and support. It has so far delivered bikes to 150 kids in South San Francisco.

A chance discovery provided the spark. A local company was considering a team activity of building tricycles for preschoolers.

“That got my wheels spinning,” said South City Councilman Eddie Flores, who was looking for ways to encourage kids, shut in by the pandemic. He recalls discussing this with City Manager Mike Futrell, and together realizing, “every kid deserves to have the bike experience.”

*Photo Courtesy of the City of South San Francisco*

An idea was born.

“This was something that was very new and dear to me,” Flores said. Kids had been attending school remotely, and living largely indoors, with little of the access to friends and activity. A program of bikes for kids seemed an ideal way to encourage them “to be outdoors and be OK with getting outside.”

Early challenges abounded. How do you identify recipients in an effective and socially equitable way? How do you connect with households who may have an uneasy relationship with government institutions? How do you bring in others for a meaningful base of expertise, staffing, funding and community connection? What does the city want to learn from the program? And what will the children need, in types of bicycles, training, gear and support?

Solutions were found.

“There is a huge difference between working on communities and working with communities,” said Tamiko Huey, a city management analyst, who helped drive the program. If you approach with respect, and first understand needs, barriers and living conditions, your team can then see what to deliver, and how. “When you work with your community you are meeting them where they are.”

The team grew to include county and elementary school staff and leadership, community groups such as the South San Francisco Rotary Club, organizations such as Genentech, Safe Routes-San Mateo County Office of Education, BikeMobile, and enthusiastic volunteers.

“It doesn’t happen in a vacuum and it doesn’t happen in silos,” Flores said. From planning through logistics, delivery and support, “it truly was a partnership which was built in order for this to be delivered.”

Feedback from schools led to a decision to focus initially on 4th and 5th graders. Outreach occurred through single-page bilingual invitations, and in person. Kids were provided with everything needed from a high-quality mountain bike, lock, helmet fitting, bike registrations through their local police department, and safe cycling instruction. All took place during normal school hours, on the familiar campus, to eliminate participation issues for families.

So far, the program has distributed 150 bicycles. Councilman Flores notes that they’ve gathered important learnings and data, and his hope is to eventually expand similar outreach to young adults, older adults, even seniors. “I think we are just scratching the surface of where we want to go.”

This guest blog is written by SVBC Volunteer Scott Brown. Scott is a writer, editor, content strategist and former journalist based in the Bay Area.