Trips for Kids founding director, Marilyn Price, recently received the widely-recognized Jefferson Award for community service for 21 years as the driving force behind the organization.
On the local level, the Jefferson Award spotlights ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition or reward. TFK is a non-profit organization that provides mountain bike outings and environmental education for kids who would not otherwise be exposed to such activities. The organization teaches lessons in personal responsibility, achievement and environmental awareness through the simple act of having fun.
Through Price’s tireless stewardship, TFK has grown from her original idea in 1988 to a 64-chapter international organization which has served tens of thousands of disadvantaged, young people in the inner-cities. Most participate in mountain bikes rides in nearby parks and wild lands, while others learn bike repair and maintenance through earn-a-bike programs. Hundreds of adult volunteers say they receive as much from TFK experiences as the kids do. The San Francisco Chronicle and the local CBS affiliate station KPIX featured stories about Marilyn’s initial vision for TFK and her long-term dedication to its expansion and its mission.
In 1972, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard founded the American Institute for Public Service, a 501c3 public foundation, to establish a Nobel Prize for public and community service – The Jefferson Awards. The awards are presented on two levels: national and local. National award recipients represent a “Who’s Who” of outstanding Americans.
