This blog post is written by Education Intern, Emily Dzieniszewski.
Last weekend, the Bicycle Coalition joined the Family Fun and Fitness Day at the Hunting Park Recreation Center. On an early Saturday morning, the community was energized and ready to promote healthy lifestyles with plenty of informational resources, food, and games.
BCGP education intern, Emily Dzieniszewski, and Play Ambassadors, Angela Harris and Tanaya Fisher, spent the day handing out free helmets, stickers, bike lights, and kids bicycle safety workbooks. Most importantly, our team spread the word about the Lil’ Philly Safety Village, the first traffic park in the Greater Philadelphia region. We saw familiar faces of our many community partners and Senator Sharif Street stopped by!
The Lil’ Philly Safety Village is one of the Bicycle Coalition’s Neighborhood Bike Hubs and is a colorful area replicating an urban traffic setting to help kids learn to ride and play safely on bikes without the disruption of motor vehicle traffic. With input on design from Hunting Park United, the Hunting Park Recreation Center, Hunting Park Community Garden, Hunting Park Connected and community members attending the Hunting Park Farmers Market, the Safety Village opened in August 2021.
With the season slowly coming to an end, this weekend’s event was the perfect opportunity to speak with our partners and encourage families to bring their little ones to the Safety Village on Saturdays from 10 AM to 12 PM for free bike riding and play for kids. Participants receive a helmet and bike lights. Many community members expressed, so we hope to see more families come by!
A special thank you to Hunting Park for letting us join this entertaining event and to all the volunteers and staff for making it such a successful day. We hope to attend similar events in the future!