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Foothill Elementary School kindergarteners pose for a photo with bicycles donated through the All Kids Bike Kindergarten Learn-to-Ride Program.

Courtesy All Kids Bike

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A bicycle donated to Foothill Elementary School through the All Kids Bike Kindergarten Learn-to-Ride Program.

Courtesy All Kids Bike

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Kindergarteners at Foothill Elementary School in Orem got a special surprise Tuesday thanks to an anonymous local donor.

A fleet of 24 bikes, pedal conversion kits, helmets, one teacher instruction bike and the certified curriculum teacher training was delivered to the school as part of the All Kids Bike Kindergarten Learn-to-Ride Program.

This equipment will be used to teach 90 kindergarteners how to ride a bike each year and has a 7-10 year lifespan. Students at Foothill Elementary were surprised with the bikes and had the opportunity to test-ride them.

Heather Slaymaker, principal of Foothill Elementary, applied for the program and was excited to hear that the school had been selected to receive funding.

“We are very grateful for the generous donation of our class set of Strider bikes,” Slaymaker said in a press release. “It is going to be an amazing opportunity for our students to learn a lifelong skill of bike riding and balance at Foothill.”

All Kids Bike is a national movement led by the Strider Education Foundation, a South Dakota-based nonprofit organization dedicated to distributing Strider Bikes to children. The organization believes that riding a bike can help children build confidence essential to their development.

The nonprofit helps to place All Kids Bike program materials into public schools through donations from individuals, businesses and other organizations. According to the All Kids Bike website, 660 schools in 50 states already have All Kids Bike Kindergarten Learn-to-Ride Programs.

“One of the best ways to get kids active is to get them excited about bicycles,” Ryan McFarland, an All Kids Bike board member, said in a press release. “It’s a skill that is going to serve them in life.”

For Lisa Weyer, Executive Director of the Strider Education Foundation, giving students the opportunity to learn to ride a bike in school is about much more than just the physical health benefits bike riding can provide.

“The ability to ride a bike develops physical and mental well-being and instills confidence which can lead to better focus in the classroom,” Weyer said in a press release. “Kindergarten is the perfect age to teach kids to ride a bike focusing on gross motor skills, balance, and coordination. By teaching bike riding at the entry-level in a public school system, we are providing the knowledge and a positive foundation of a lifelong skill.”

More information on All Kids Bike can be found at http://allkidsbike.org.

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