Marilyn Price, Founding Director of Trips for Kids (TFK), has been named a CNN Hero for her work helping at-risk youth discover themselves through the power of bicycles.
 
The prestigious CNN Heroes initiative honors everyday people who are making a difference in their community. Thousands of nominations are received from around the world every year and each week CNN tells the story of one Hero whose selfless, creative efforts have helped others.

Price's story started in 1988 when she took her first group of inner city children from San Francisco on a mountain bike ride in the hills of Marin County, just over the Golden Gate Bridge. Since that day over 140,000 children in 90 cities have been on a mountain bike adventure with Trips for Kids.
 
“Many of the children served by Trips for Kids have never ventured beyond their neighborhood borders – the natural world is often simply out of reach to them,” said  Price, who is pictured to the right. “These rides offer profound experiences and for some, pivotal moments of self-discovery that can help tip the balance to a healthy and productive life.”
 
“Marilyn's work in building the Trips for Kids international organization over the past 27 years has placed her in the spotlight as a leader and role model,” said Patricia Gallery, TFK board member. “She is an inspiration to the thousands of kids, volunteers and supporters who have had a chance to ride or work with her and has paved the way to making Trips for Kids an international movement.”
 
A lifelong environmentalist, social activist and member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, Price is credited with having pioneered the use of the mountain bike as a vehicle for change. The Trips for Kids program combines lessons in personal responsibility, achievement and environmental awareness through development of practical skills and the simple act of having fun.
 
Trips for Kids is an international 501(c)3 community service organization based in Marin County, California. Founded in 1988, its programs give underserved youth an opportunity to experience the joy and challenge of mountain biking while learning valuable life skills, environmental awareness and an appreciation for the outdoors. There are over 80 Trips for Kids chapters across North America, Israel and Africa. For more information, go to www.tripsforkids.org.