May is National Bike Month, promoted by the League of American Bicyclists and celebrated in communities from coast to coast.
To mark this childhood rite of passage, the Watsonville Y’s Child Care Center teamed up with Bike Santa Cruz County to provide gently used and refurbished bikes for 13 youth to take home by the end of May.
Organizers hope this can become a monthly activity for The Y.
On April 29, the Y celebrated Bike Day for the youth at the Watsonville Y’s Child Care Center, a designated childcare option for many of the children of Watsonville’s essential workers.
Watsonville YMCA Youth Development Director Shawnte Cornoa worked with Gina Gallino Cole of Bike Santa Cruz County, a local nonprofit that promotes bicycling through advocacy, education and community building.
The nonprofit coordinated with Theresia Rogerson, Santa Cruz County senior health educator, Lauren Freeman, county health educator, and Daniel Mendoza, health educator specialist at the county’s Health Services Agency, to provide helmet-fit instruction and free helmets for 24 youth at the Y.
Kymberly Lacrosse and Danny Guzman of Watsonville-based Community Bike Collective loaned bikes for youth to use during Bike Day.
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For information on Central Coast YMCA, visit www.centralcoastymca.org.
Youth gets ready for a bike ride with a free helmet for safety. • Photo Credit: Scott Tebo