Community works together to help Bonneville School District

Fifth graders from Bonneville School District 93 will have the opportunity to learn about bike safety at the sixth annual bike-to-school day.

About 500 kids from 12 schools will meet at Iona park this Monday and Tuesday, wearing different color T-shirts to tell them apart. They will cycle nine miles with refurbished bikes from Bill’s Bike Shop in Idaho Falls.

The community played a big part in this event by donating the old bicycles.

“To be alongside all these kids riding bikes, we’re excited that they’re excited to ride these bikes so all of our hard works pay off in the end, to see the smiles on their faces,” said sales manager of Bill’s Bike Shop, Brandon Fell. Fell said three employees have spent 15 hours getting the bikes ready in what he calls a busy sales season for the shop.

“We’ll clean up the bike, and make sure there is air in the tires. We’ll patch any tubes we need to then give them to the kids,” said Fell.

Scott Anderson has been an employee for five years and he’s refurbished about 300 bikes.

“To see how excited the kids get, their faces just light up, to us it’s just one more bike but to them it’s just something really special,” Anderson said.

Julie Sibwell has been organizing the event for about eight to 10 weeks.

“We’ve noticed once they get home most of them ride their bikes for the rest of the school year just because it’s fun, it’s a social thing and it’s healthy,” she said.

The bike ride is funded with a grant from safe routes to school. It’s a federal program that allows districts to create a safe environment for students.

If you would like to donate an old bike, you can drop it off at Bill’s Bike Shop at Snake River Landing. The shop refurbishes bikes for kids in need around Christmas time.