Bikes for kids now an 8 year Delaware tradition

A bike is a classic Christmas gift.  Sometimes the dream of a bike is just out of the budget.  A Philadelphia company has once again made sure that doesn’t happen for a group of Wilmington children.

For eight consecutive years, CH2M HILL, a global engineering, construction, and consulting firm has given 50 new bicycles to the city’s most needy children. All throughout the year, the company’s Philadelphia office raises funds for their annual “Bikes for Kids” charity in an effort to distribute new bikes and helmets to local underprivileged children for the holiday season. “We love to give back to the communities we work in. We believe in bikes and fitness and this is the best gift for our young kids to have. A lot of the kids we give to, this will be the only their only present this year” said Chris Peluso, CH2M HILL Area Manager

Representatives from CH2M HILL were joined by Wilmington Mayor Dennis P. Williams to show off the new bikes and helmets at the Louis L. Redding City County Building. “We’ve worked in Wilmington for the past 8 years and we think it’s our responsibility to not only help the city become more efficient but to also give back to the community” said Peluso

Bikes for Kids is part of a larger community outreach effort, the bikes are purchased from Philadelphia Neighborhood Bike Works, a local non-profit organization that offers educational opportunities for urban youth through cycling, and promotes cycling as an environmentally-friendly means of transportation. “The program is more than giving bikes away. We work with Neighborhood Bike Works to build the bikes and to teach skills to underprivileged children, and now we are able come full circle and give the bikes to the communities which we work and live in” said Peluso

This year, CH2M HILL plans to distribute more than 360 bicycles to local underprivileged children. “I think the kids of the city of Wilmington are going to have a smile from one end of their faces to the other. We are our brother’s keepers and we have to look out for our children” said Mayor Williams

The West Side Neighborhood Coalition is one of the community centers that will distribute the bicycles to the city’s most needy kids. President, David Gwyn, is elated to present the new bikes at the toy giveaway dinner that will be hosted tonight at the Saint Paul United Methodist Church. “We just love to put smiles on the children’s faces,” said Gwyn.  His organization will end up giving away the bikes and an 400 toys. 

The Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services in conjunction with community and neighborhood centers will identify and distribute the bicycles to the families that would most benefit from the holiday bike giveaway. The children will receive their new bikes just in time for Christmas.