In 1986 Marilyn Price was pedaling up a bike trail on Mount Tamalpais,
gazing at the view of San Francisco beyond. She remembered the kids
she used to see when she volunteered at St. Anthony’s Dining Room in
the heart of the inner city and thought how wonderful it would be if
they could have a chance to do what she was doing. It was then that
her vision of Trips for Kids began to take shape.
Now, Trips for Kids is a San Francisco Bay Area non-profit that provides
mountain bike outings and environmental education for kids that would
not otherwise be exposed to these types of activities. Trips for Kids’
goal is to combine lessons in personal responsibility, achievement and
environmental awareness through development of practical skills and
the simple act of having fun. The Trips for Kids Re-Cyclery program
provides job training for youth while recycling old bikes and bike parts.
Marilyn Price founded Trips for Kids on the belief that outdoor experiences
should be available to all children. She has created a program that
provides disadvantaged youth with outdoor, educational and work experiences
that set them on a path toward better lives.
Marilyn's
program has now taken more than 5,000 youth on mountain bike outings
and has a volunteer base of 300 people. Trips for Kids has provided
650 low-income kids a chance to earn a bike of their own, hired 11 teens
trained through the program, and operates two earn-a-bike workshops
for inner city kids and provides jobs for the older kids. The organization
earns 68% of its operating expenses from its bike thrift shop and fundraising
events. It is now a national program with 10 Trips for Kids chapters
across the country. All of this was accomplished through the dedication
and hard work of a woman who, with no prior business experience, wanted
to help others.
Now, Trips for Kids is a San Francisco Bay Area non-profit that provides
mountain bike outings and environmental education for kids that would
not otherwise be exposed to these types of activities. Trips for Kids’
goal is to combine lessons in personal responsibility, achievement and
environmental awareness through development of practical skills and
the simple act of having fun. The Trips for Kids Re-Cyclery program
provides job training for youth while recycling old bikes and bike parts.
Marilyn Price founded Trips for Kids on the belief that outdoor experiences
should be available to all children. She has created a program that
provides disadvantaged youth with outdoor, educational and work experiences
that set them on a path toward better lives.
Marilyn's
program has now taken more than 5,000 youth on mountain bike outings
and has a volunteer base of 300 people. Trips for Kids has provided
650 low-income kids a chance to earn a bike of their own, hired 11 teens
trained through the program, and operates two earn-a-bike workshops
for inner city kids and provides jobs for the older kids. The organization
earns 68% of its operating expenses from its bike thrift shop and fundraising
events. It is now a national program with 10 Trips for Kids chapters
across the country. All of this was accomplished through the dedication
and hard work of a woman who, with no prior business experience, wanted
to help others.