Kings Beach Trail Construction Prompts Nonprofit Organizations To Partner To Increase Youth Accessibility To Cycling
Tahoe Fund, The Specialized Foundation and Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe Collaborate to Give Children Greater Access to Outdoor Recreation Opportunities
KINGS BEACH, Calif. (Oct. 31, 2018) – At a special unveiling event in Kings Beach, Calif. last night, the nonprofit Tahoe Fund presented 20 new Specialized mountain bikes and helmets, a storage system, extra parts and mountain bike coaching to youth at the Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe. The bikes will provide kids greater access to a new trail that will be constructed next spring just two blocks from the program center.
“Thanks to our donors and the Truckee Tahoe Airport, the Tahoe Fund will contribute to the construction of a new trail that will be built in Kings Beach next spring by the United States Forest Service and the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA),” said Amy Berry, CEO of the Tahoe Fund. “When we realized the trail is just two blocks from the Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe, we recognized an opportunity to get more kids on bikes so they can enjoy the trails literally in their backyard.”
The Tahoe Fund partnered with The Specialized Foundation because of the nation-wide success the organization has had with its Riding For Focus program. Designed to help children diagnosed with ADHD concentrate at school, the Foundation’s goal is to use cycling as a tool for kids to achieve academic, health, and social successes.
As part of the program sponsored by the Tahoe Fund with support from the Reno-Tahoe Audi Cycling Club, mountain bike instruction will be provided by coach Ryan Solberg and the Truckee North Tahoe Mountain Bike Club. The Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe also plans to offer week-long summer mountain bike camps starting in 2019.
“We have found it to be a pretty simple formula; kids and bikes equal happier, more attentive students in the classroom. For the past few years, The Specialized Foundation has been helping this happen through 84 Riding for Focus middle school programs deployed across the country,” said Ted Theocheung, CEO of The Specialized Foundation. “We are delighted to partner with the Tahoe Fund who led the development support that enabled this project, and with the team at Village Ski Loft who volunteered to build the bikes. Our vision with this partnership is to expand our programs toward middle schools throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin.”
“As an organization, our priorities include helping the young people who participate in our programs achieve academic success and practice healthy lifestyle choices that include a commitment to their fitness,” said Mindy Carbajal, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe. “This program is well aligned with our goals and has the potential to not only help kids have better focus in school but help them develop a life-long passion for cycling and being outdoors. We’re excited to be piloting the program with the Tahoe Fund.”
The Tahoe Fund was created to be a major source of private funding for environmental projects around the Lake Tahoe Basin with an emphasis on lake clarity, outdoor recreation, stewardship, forest health and transportation. Learn more at www.tahoefund.org.
About Tahoe Fund
The Tahoe Fund was founded in 2010 to work with the private community to support environmental improvement projects that restore lake clarity, enhance outdoor recreation, promote healthier forests, improve transportation and inspire greater stewardship of the region. Through the generous support of private donors, the Tahoe Fund has leveraged more than $2 million in private funds to secure more than $40 million in public funds for more than 25 environmental projects. The projects include new sections of the Lake Tahoe Bikeway, restoration of watersheds, removal of aquatic invasive species, forest health projects, public beach improvements, and stewardship programs. Learn more at www.tahoefund.org.
About Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe
Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe has been a cornerstone of the North Lake Tahoe community since opening its doors in 1998. Serving over 1,800 youth annually, the Boys Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe provides a safe, structured and positive environment for young people before and after school, during holidays and summer vacation. Learn more at www.bgcnlt.org.
About Specialized Foundation
The Specialized Foundation uses cycling as a tool for children to achieve academic, health and social success. Through investments in primary scientific medical research and school-based cycling programs, our mission is to increase accessibility to cycling to aid youth in personal development and education, with a focus on supporting students with learning differences like ADHD. Learn more at www.SpecializedFoundation.org
