A heart-warming new program is being rolled out to give children-in-need access to a bike to ride to and from school.
The School Bike Restoration trial is also developing new skills and building confidence in the students and helping the environment.
The initiative expands on Sunshine Coast Council’s existing RideScore Active Schools Program, providing disadvantaged children with a mode of transport when there is often no alternative.
Sunshine Coast Council Division 6 Councillor Christian Dickson said it was a clever, important and uplifting initiative.
“This is a collaboration between council, Brightwater State School and Chancellor State College,” Cr Dickson said.
“The schools are supplied with bicycles that are sourced from the Endeavour Foundation’s Tip Shop at select council waste facilities and the students work with a qualified bicycle mechanic from Peddlar in Golden Beach to give the bikes a fresh lease on life.
“The mechanic runs a weekly 90-minute in-school lesson to select students at both participating schools, providing them with hands-on skills and experience and an opportunity for them to thrive in an environment outside the classroom.
“They will gain practical lifetime skills and the job satisfaction of contributing to the RideScore stockpile of bicycles that will be gifted to their peers in need.
“It also instils council’s key values of recycling and sustainable, active travel.”
Chancellor State College deputy principal Jayme Field said the program was bigger than simply the fixing the bikes.
“Not only does it provide disadvantaged children with a way to get to school, it’s also a tool to mentor children who struggle with mainstream classroom learning and build their confidence and resilience to set them up for a bright future,” Mr Field said.
For more information on the RideScore Active Schools Program visit council’s website sunshinecost.qld.gov.au and search RideScore Active Schools.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can donate to the School Bike Restoration trial or get involved, email ridescore@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au
