Yamaha-Backed All Kids Bike Teaches Hundreds to Ride Bicycles

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Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, and All Kids Bike deliver bikes to A.L. Burruss Elementary in Marietta, Georgia. (Yamaha/)

In 2021, Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, supported All Kids Bike with a $30,000 grant to help get the bicycle-rider-education program into six elementary schools near the OEM’s stateside corporate offices, four in Georgia and two in California.

Yamaha says that All Kids Bike, which will teach more than 380,000 students at 550 elementary schools in all 50 states how to ride bicycles over the next five years, has completed its mission with support from the grant, delivering the final of six programs to Clara J. King Elementary School in Cypress, California.

With the help of hall of famers like Brian Lopes, Yamaha Motor Corp. employees helped deliver bikes and taught riding skills at each of the six schools.

Hall-of-famer Brian Lopes helps Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, and All Kids Bike deliver bikes to Juliet Morris Elementary School in Cypress, California. (Yamaha Motor Corp., USA/)

“We’re grateful for Yamaha’s support of All Kids Bike, for the funding required to land the program in six schools, for the volunteer efforts Yamaha employees and partners contributed to delivering bikes to schools, and mostly for the opportunity to get more kids on bikes,” said All Kids Bike founder Ryan McFarland, who also attended the first Yamaha-funded school delivery in Cypress last fall.

Over the past year, the grant through Yamaha’s Outdoor Access Initiative has helped teach riding at the following schools:

• Elm Street Elementary in Newnan, Georgia
• Western Elementary in Newnan, Georgia
• A.L. Burruss Elementary School in Marietta, Georgia
• Lockheed Elementary in Marietta, Georgia
• Juliet Morris Elementary School in Cypress, California
• Clara J. King Elementary in Cypress, California

Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, and All Kids Bike deliver bikes to Elm Street Elementary in Newnan, Georgia. (Yamaha Motor Corp., USA/)

“The Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative is an inclusive program that supports and promotes outdoor recreation, and we provided this grant to get more kids outside learning valuable skills they can build on for the rest of their lives,” Yamaha’s motorsports marketing manager Steve Nessl said. “The All Kids Bike program offers the only chance some of these kids will get to develop the confidence and experience the freedom that comes from riding on two wheels.”

The Rapid City, South Dakota-based All Kids Bike is a national movement led by the Strider Education Foundation to place Kindergarten PE (Physical Education) Learn-to-Ride Programs into public schools for free. The organization uses donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations.

During the Yamaha Motor Corp., USA-backed programs, the All Kids Bike staff brought along 24 Strider balance bikes, helmets, and pedal conversion kits. As the teachers had to ride as well, some adult bicycles were on hand.

Learning to ride at Clara J. King Elementary in Cypress, California, thanks to Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, and All Kids Bike. (Yamaha Motor Corp., USA/)

“Childhood development never stops,” All Kids Bike says. “By continuing to expand the All Kids Bike program this year, more children across the country are learning life skills and getting much-needed exercise while getting away from their computer screens and spending more time outdoors.”

For additional information, visit All Kids Bike.

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