Times Call staff writer Karen Antonacci
Northridge Elementary parent and volunteer Gabriel Gonzalez ( Lewis Geyer / Staff Photographer )
Woolen pom-poms on winter hats bobbed at waist-height among Whole Foods shoppers Wednesday as first and second graders from Longmont’s Northridge Elementary stood on their tiptoes for a glance at their new bicycles.
The 113 students were bused to the new Whole Foods Market on the day of its grand opening at Longmont’s Village at the Peaks and given bikes, courtesy of the grocer and the Can’d Aid Foundation, the charitable arm of Oskar Blues Brewing Company.
Kids waited excitedly for their names to be called so they could come forward and receive their new bicycles. Once their names were called, volunteers and parents led them over to the brand-new bikes and fit them for matching red-and-black helmets.
Northridge Principal Lorynda Sampson said more than 85 percent of students at the school are on the free and reduced lunch program. Additionally, about 77 percent are English-as-a-second-language learners, she said.
“This is probably one of the biggest blessings for these children,” Sampson said. “Many of these children would not have been able to have bikes otherwise … it’s such a gift to these kiddos, and Whole Foods and Can’d Aid are just so supportive of schools and families.”
Original Times Call post
Perhaps you should consider doing a story on Bicycle Longmont and the Kids Holiday Bike Program that has been going on for 25 years.