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Contact Justin For more info

Bikes for Kids 
(Previously Saco Bikes for Kids)

"Our mission is to get Saco's next generation active on the Eastern Trail in Southern Maine." - Rep. Justin Chenette

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This program is currently being expanded from it's 'Saco Bikes for Kids' origin to include more communities and creating educational connections beyond just donating the actual bikes themselves. STAY TUNED!

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Saco Bikes for Kids campaign concludes

An inaugural ride on the Eastern Trail capped off the successful fund raising work of Saco Bikes For Kids and showcased 25 new trail bikes for Saco Parks & Recreation to use in its summer camp programs. 

"Today we celebrate the business leaders and citizens who supported our campaign. One year ago we mobbed 400 kids and camp counselors onto the John R. Andrews Bridge over Route One and kick-started our community outreach.

Throughout the summer and fall as we knocked on doors, distributed email alerts, and posted Facebook updates, we encountered many fans of the Eastern Trail and Saco Parks & Rec. Thanks to those fans, local kids will spend many summers enjoying the special treasure of the Eastern Trail," said Representative Justin Chenette, an organizer of Saco Bikes for Kids. 

The 25 Diamondback Trail Bikes were purchased from Quinn's Bike Shop on Elm Street in Biddeford. The bikes were selected for boys and girls ages 8-11.

"We organize our camp programs into teams. Throughout the summer, teams will take turns exploring different sections of the Eastern Trail. We plan to bus the kids and trailer the bikes to a starting location. Then the bus will drive ahead and pick up the kids after they travel off-road sections of the trail at various spots between Kennebunk and Scarborough," said Kevin Lombard, program director for Saco Parks & Recreation. 

The campaign was supported by 46 contributors, as well as a penny fundraiser organized by the kids at Saco Parks & Recreation. Major corporate donors included:

General Dynamics;
Peoples Choice Credit Union;
Hannaford;
Saco & Biddeford Savings;
Pate Motor Co.;
Garland Manufacturing Company;
Norway Savings Bank;
TD Bank;
Saco Valley Credit Union;
Bangor Savings Bank;
Paquin & Carroll Insurance.
"Mike Cadorette at Quinn's Bike Shop was great to work with and we were pleased to support a local business. All bikes are equipped with bottle holders and each rider receives a helmet. We also purchased tools for any repairs that are needed on the trail," said Bob Hamblen, president of the Eastern Trail Alliance.

Saco Bikes for Kids was founded as an ongoing collaborative project with the goal of getting the next generation active on the Eastern Trail. In addition to Chenette and Hamblen, Saco resident Melissa Field is a founder. Joe Hirsch, Director of Saco Parks & Recreation, along with Lombard, also helped organize key aspects of the project. Plans for another initiative, one involving technology, are underway and will be announced in the near future.