Bike Utah is on a mission to integrate bicycling into everday culture.
My day job is as a middle school physical education teacher and for the last three years running I have happily turned my class over for one week a year to Bike Utah, a local non-profit program that educates kids on bikes and bike riding. For most of my students, Bike Utah is the highlight of the year. By the end of the week even the kids who have never ridden a bike before are safely pedaling around a parking lot on two wheels exhilarated by the feelings of freedom and achievement.
Bike Utah works with thousands of school kids all across the state. This year they were able to expand their operations with some new hiring. Hannah Dhonau will be a new youth program coordinator. Chris Wiltsie is the new program director. With this new blood and with a new truck (bike transport) coming on board in January, the program will be able to double their reach to about 6,000 kids each year. They are currently accepting applications from schools that wish to schedule a week with Bike Utah for 2019.
That’s not all. Through the Wasatch Bike Plan campaign, the organization helps initiate bicycle and pedestrian master plans in every community of all four Wasatch Front counties. They also have a program to get adults riding bikes.
You can help them spread the bicycling word with a Share the Road license plate ($48; $25 subsequent years). All proceeds go to Bike Utah. New plates can be requested any time. Just write a check for $48 to the Utah State Tax Commission. Mail it along with a copy of your vehicle registration and a note requesting Share the Road plates to:
Utah State Tax Commission
Motor Vehicle Division
PO Box 30412
Salt Lake City, UT 84130
—Katherine Pioli
BikeUtah memberships start at $30/ year ($10 for students). BikeUtah.org