Aiming to get kids off screens, nonprofit donates 100 bikes to children at Austin school

Hannah Ortega, Austin American-Statesman
Updated ·2 min read

A wall of blue gym mats was all that stood between curious first graders and a community-built surprise on Wednesday morning at Travis Heights Elementary School.

The students sat patiently on the courtyard concrete, chatting amongst themselves and eyeing the people in Can'd Aid t-shirts. Parents with visitor name tags shuffled in, and an event leader walked around filming the intimate crowd.

"Why does he have a camera?" one child asked.

A volunteer nearby laughed. "He's just asking what everyone else is wondering."

The time came to unveil the surprise, and it quickly became clear why a camera was necessary.

"Three, two, one, move those mats!" the children screamed.

Kim Sacco assembles a bike for Austin youth while volunteering with Can’d Aid at The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Volunteers 100 bikes were built by local volunteers to be donated to the entire first Travis Heights Elementary School, a local Title 1 school.
Kim Sacco assembles a bike for Austin youth while volunteering with Can’d Aid at The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Volunteers 100 bikes were built by local volunteers to be donated to the entire first Travis Heights Elementary School, a local Title 1 school.

The screams only grew louder as the mats fell to reveal 100 new, shiny red bikes.

Nonprofit aims to get kids outside and off of screens

The Travis Heights bike initiative came from Can'd Aid, a Colorado-based non-profit, and the Game On! Foundation, which was created by Yasso, a frozen Greek yogurt company. The two organizations are donating 1,200 bikes to underserved youth across 12 cities in the U.S. this year. Austin was the seventh stop.

"We always donate to a Title 1 elementary school kind of within the neighborhood of where we're building the bikes to keep it close and community focused," said Josie Johnston, Can'd Aid program and community engagement manager.

James Mundt and Eric Flint assemble a bike for Austin youth while volunteering with Can’d Aid at The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. Tuesday, May 21, 2024. 100 bikes were built by local volunteers to be donated to the entire first Travis Heights Elementary School, a local Title 1 school.
James Mundt and Eric Flint assemble a bike for Austin youth while volunteering with Can’d Aid at The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. Tuesday, May 21, 2024. 100 bikes were built by local volunteers to be donated to the entire first Travis Heights Elementary School, a local Title 1 school.

For the Travis Heights bikes, volunteers gathered at Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. the evening before for building. Adult volunteers put the bikes together and pumped the tires while youth helpers placed Game On! Foundation stickers onto helmets.

The event organizers hope the Travis Heights students will use the bikes to get active as children spend more and more time on screens.

"Our founders Drew and Amanda have always been very passionate about team sports," said Jessica Moore, Yasso's director of natural sales. The directors understand the value of being outside and working as a team, she said.

"It's just been a wonderful evolution to bring the Game On! Foundation in partnership with Can'd Aid to build bikes for kids, to be outside and be off screens, have independence," Moore said.

"Your first bike, everyone remembers it."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 100 Travis Heights elementary kids got a summer surprise: a new bike