NEW BIKE TOURING CAMP LETS CLEVELAND KIDS GO GREEN, LEARN SAFE BIKING SKILLS, AND EXPLORE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
 NEW BIKE TOURING CAMP LETS CLEVELAND KIDS GO GREEN, LEARN SAFE BIKING SKILLS, AND EXPLORE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
NEW BIKE TOURING CAMP LETS CLEVELAND KIDS GO GREEN, LEARN SAFE BIKING SKILLS, AND EXPLORE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, Merrick House, and Ohio City Bicycle Co-op Partnership Opens Up New Vistas for Near West Side Youth
Join us as we hit the streets of Cleveland with area youth as we discover a new way of going 'green.' The latest buzz on the Near West Side is about the team of youth cyclists who have taken this message to the streets, literally. With their brightly colored green shirts, this crew of 10 youth cyclists and three adult camp leaders can't be missed riding all around the Ohio City, Tremont and Detroit Shoreway neighborhoods as part of the Campamento de Viajaros Ciclistas (Spanish for 'Camp of Traveling Cyclists'). This unique 'nomadic' summer day camp gives local youth the skills and encouragement needed to adopt cycling as a hobby and transportation alternative, emphasizing the many opportunities for convenient and fun travel along safe bike routes (especially when linked together with public transit). Each of the five, week-long camps held throughout the summer are helping pre-teens from this economically depressed area learn new and safe ways to stay fit and active, discover more about their community and its recreational opportunities, and learn about future career opportunities as they travel throughout the Greater Cleveland area and gain exposure to all kinds of new people and experiences. We invite the media to join us in the final week of the camp and learn more about this innovative partnership that is opening up new vistas for young people on the Near West Side.
Campamento de Viajaros Ciclistas (CVC) is a new bilingual bike camp organized by Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital Injury Prevention Center, Merrick House, and the Ohio City Bicycle Co-op. The camp is designed to educate children on safe riding while giving them a chance to explore the city on bike, logging over 60 miles of riding on streets, all-purpose paths and occasionally, if necessary, sidewalks. The camp starts each day at Merrick House on Lincoln Park in Tremont, where ten children and their adult leaders embark on group rides ranging from 10 to 20 miles, with many stops along the way to learn about the many opportunities for education, employment and recreation all accessible by bike. Along the way children are greeted by guest riders from the surrounding neighborhoods, such as Cleveland Public Art in Ohio City and Eco Village/Detroit Shoreway Community Development. Stops include community gardens, the West Side Market, a recording studio, a restaurant hop in Ohio City, Progressive Field, Whiskey Island, Edgewater Beach and the Cleveland Rowing Foundation boat house to name a few. The longest ride includes a tour of the Towpath trail where campers are rewarded for their efforts with ice cream at Thornburg Station as they log 20 miles of mostly flat riding. Campers also take the rapid transit to University Circle where they explore careers in science and medicine with presentations by University Hospitals Case Medical Center Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office. Throughout the week children also make little stops throughout the neighborhood with everything from a dress shop (Pinky's Daily Planner) to a glass studio (Glass Bubble Project).
As part of the camp children participate in an Earn-A-Bike program where they earn refurbished bikes provided by the Ohio City Bicycle Co-op. To earn the bikes they must observe all safety rules, including wearing a helmet and obeying all traffic laws throughout the camp. With the help of the Ohio City Bike Co-op and the Rainbow Injury Prevention Center, children learn to navigate the entire city on bike, including streets, sidewalks, bike trails and designated bike routes.
CVC is part of a larger Safe Routes to School initiative on the Near West Side led by Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, which is capitalizing on the growing interest in biking while addressing key concerns about youth safety in areas with a history of pedestrian struck incidents and promoting helmet use and safe riding practices.
The camp is funded by the Cuyahoga County Commissioners as part of the new Youth Development Initiative. Additional funding was provided by the Ohio Department of Transportation with support provided by Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital and Merrick House. The camp is staffed by Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Merrick House and Ohio City Bicycle Co-op.
We invite the media to come visit us (and even ride with us!) and see the CVC Bike Touring Camp in action during our final week. The agenda for the final half of the week includes:
Wednesday
9 a.m. Bike to Rapid Transit (W. 25th Street Station)
10 a.m. Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office
11:30 a.m. Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital - UH Helipad
1-3 p.m. Cultural Gardens/Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway
Thursday
9-11 a.m. Ohio City Bike Coop
12 p.m. Lava Room Recording Studio
1 p.m. Edgewater Beach/Whiskey Island
2:30 p.m. Cleveland Public Art Tour
Friday
10 a.m. Kentucky Garden
11 a.m. West Side Market & Restaurant Hop
12 p.m. Cleveland Rowing Foundation
1:30 p.m. Christmas Story House
2:00 p.m. Service Project (location TBD)
3:30 p.m. Family BBQ picnic at Merrick House
To learn more about the program, schedule a visit, or arrange for a bike to accompany the group on its travels, contact:
Thomas Cook
Injury Prevention Coordinator/ Safe Kids Greater Cleveland
Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital
Cell: 440-785-0823
or
Kathryn Wesolowski
Injury Prevention Program Manager
Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital
Cell: 216-983-1124
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Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 (Archive on Wednesday, August 20, 2008) |
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