Free Bikes 4 Kidz Delaware and Bayhealth Host First Bike Giveaway Day at DSU

Free Bikes 4 Kidz (FB4K) Delaware, premier sponsor Bayhealth, and partner Delaware State University (DSU) teamed up to host its first bike giveaway day at DSU’s Alumni Stadium. This event served community kids in need and their families by providing bikes, helmets and a day of activities encouraging safe and healthy lifestyles.

Dozens of volunteers from Bayhealth, DSU and the community came together to assist at this event – from fitting kids for helmets to adjusting bike seats, and even helping some to ride a bike for their first time. Many of these volunteers previously helped assemble the bikes back in January on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and spent hours preparing the bikes leading up to the distribution.

The Food Bank of Delaware’s Mobile Food Pantry also participated in the event by providing food boxes to families. Volunteers and organization representatives, such as the Bayhealth Pediatrics practice in Milford and Capital City Cyclists, got involved to offer health and safety-related information and materials to kids and their families.

FB4K Delaware first launched in December 2022 under the leadership of Executive Director Tom Vaughan, MD, who is also Chief Wellness Officer at Bayhealth. Since then, the statewide chapter of the national nonprofit has begun partnering with local agencies and community non-profits to identify kids in need.

"Our Parents as Teachers program serves some families who do not have access to things, like bikes, that many of us take for granted," said Stephanie Wagner, a representative from a community organization involved in this event. "Free Bikes 4 Kidz Delaware helped many parents provide their children with a childhood rite of passage...a bike! I was amazed by this event. Watching the children riding bikes, some for the first time, just filled my heart!

Wagner added, "A HUGE shoutout to all of the volunteers! They rolled out the red carpet to the families. Families with needs are not often treated as well as others. These volunteers made the families feel like the most important people on the planet!”

For more information on getting involved in or supporting FB4K Delaware, please contact Tom@FB4KDelaware.org or visit the FB4K Delaware page on Facebook.