Trips for Kids celebrates 20 years of empowering youth with a dinner auction from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on November 3, 2007, at the Mill Valley Community Center in Marin, California. The limited live auction portion of the event is expected to draw both generous patrons and a captive audience of cycling fans.
Noteworthy auction items include:
- High-end mountain bikes donated by Ellsworth and Maverick.
- A bike trip through Europe offered by Trek Travel and American Airlines.
- A cycling trip to Moab, Utah, contributed by Western Spirit Cycling.
- A private mountain bike ride on Mount Tamalpais with mountain bike legend, Gary Fisher.
- The event will also feature a silent auction with an extensive collection of bike-related goods. Other event sponsors include Tom Weisel Partners, ZteaM cycling, Wilderness Trail Bikes and Transportation Alternatives of Marin.
In the last 20 years, Trips for Kids has led more than 38,000 underserved youth on mountain bike adventures. Each ride builds confidence and teaches valuable life skills as youth dig deep for strength to climb mountains. At the same time, youth are taught to appreciation nature and better appreciate their roles as caretakers of the environment.
Modeled after its flagship program in the San Francisco Bay area, fifty-seven Trips for Kids chapters across North America are working together to take low-income, inner-city, or otherwise at-risk youth on mountain bike adventures.
Former students confirm the impact of their Trips for Kids rides.
“I had never been into the woods before and I could feel the difference in the air – it was thin and fresh,” said 19-year-old Edwin Martinez. “I had asthma as a kid and I could really feel the difference. I still love to go out on the trail now.”
“It was the best time I ever had,” said 23-year-old Vianney Gutierrez. “I remember every single bit of the trip and will for the rest of my life.”
The widespread achievements and growth of Trips for Kids' outreach comes with an increasing price. Sixty percent of the funding for Trips for Kids comes from the sale of donated merchandise through its Re-Cyclery Thrift Shop – perhaps the largest bicycle thrift shop of its kind in the country. Located in San Rafael, this green business is a community center for affordable and environmentally friendly transportation.
Trips for Kids relies on financial donations to pay for organization expenses not covered by Re-Cyclery Thrift Shop profits. Proceeds from the 20th Anniversary Celebration will boost the expansion of Trips for Kids' award-winning programs into more communities across the country.
