Cheers erupted as Syncere took his first pedals as a new cyclist. At 4 years old, Syncere had never ridden a bike before. In one morning, Syncere went from struggling to balance and glide to pedaling around the Lil’ Philly Safety Village. Thanks to PECO, Syncere and a total of 28 kids received free helmets and education on how to properly wear a helmet at the Bike Safety Fair at the Lil’ Philly Safety Village last Saturday, October 23rd, 2021. Through PECO’s generosity, we were also able to give away a tag-along bike, lock, lights and helmets given to a Hunting Park neighbor, Mustafa, who will use it to ride with his grandson around Hunting Park.
Mustafa carrying off the tagalong bike he won that he’ll use to ride with his grandson.
Bike Safety Fair By the Numbers
- 28 kids were given free bike helmets and explored the Lil’ Philly Safety Village on 2 wheels
- 50 families came through the Bike Safety Fair to learn more about the Bicycle Coalition and bike safety education
- 100 books given away by Tree House Books
Thanks to PECO for supporting our youth helmet giveaway!
The Lil’ Philly Safety Village opened in August and is the first of its kind in Philadelphia, offering kids an opportunity to learn about bike safety and riding in a safe environment. The traffic park was created with the support of Kaboom! and the William Penn Foundation, the McLean Contributionship, the Ron Jaworski Foundation, Mimi Sheller, Piscitello Law, and 130+ other individuals whose funding turned this long-held dream of the Bicycle Coalition into a reality. Philly Parks and Recreation also made this project possible by helping with project management and making the ~4,568 sq ft. parcel available for Lil’ Philly’s construction.
Throughout the planning, creation, and now implementation of programming, the Bicycle Coalition has been building relationships with organizations in Hunting Park around the traffic park, including Hunting Park Community Gardens, Hunting Park United, North10 and the Hunting Park Rec Center.
Many thanks to our amazing volunteers Emilia and Pete who brought patience and guidance to our young learners at the Lil’ Philly Safety Village, Jose Ferran for outreach, and our partners at Safe Routes Philly and Tree House Books.