Great Opportunities Mass Ride

Hello Bicycle Fans:

One of the many challenges Great Opportunities (GO) faces is transportation. In the past we have utilized public forms of transportation which for some poses a financial burden. In order to help address this dilemma Great Opportunities initiated a program which both looks for suitable bikes for donation and most importantly, in keeping with our mission statement, educates children on the importance of bicycle safety. By offering this program we accomplish two things reduce our dependence on public transportation and most importantly get the kids on a bike exercising and employing the outdoors.

May is National Bike Month as such we have two events in which focus on bicycle education; GO’s Bike Rodeo and GO’s Mass Bike Ride.

The Bike Rodeo will be held on May 4th from 10:00am to 1:00pm on the San Juan Elementary School campus. With help from the Orange County Health Department in the form of a generous donation of helmets, Great Opportunities has partnered with San Juan Elementary and Kinoshita Elementary in providing a properly fitted helmet to all participants.  Additionally, a deputy from the Orange County Sheriff Department will provide instruction on the rules of the road.  We will also have on hand Paramedic from the Orange County Fire Department explaining the importance of wearing a helmet and other safety gear. At the end of the day participants are given the opportunity to navigate an obstacle course designed to prepare educate them in proper reactions to various situations they may encounter while riding a bicycle on the open road.

The following Saturday, May 11th  from 10:00am to 1:00pm we will have GO's Mass Bike Ride from the Capo Villas to Doheny State Beach. We will travel the bike trails along the Trabuco Creek and San Juan Creek to Doheny State Beach and then return. This event will reinforce the knowledge they gained at the bike rodeo.

If you have a good, old bicycle in working order in the garage that you would like to donate please contact us. If you are interested, we are building a team of volunteers, forward thinkers that want to help make this event bigger and better. We are also looking for sponsors to help underwrite our plan. So, share our information with others.

Any child who participates in these events MUST wear SHOES and HELMETS. We hope that parents and friends that ride with us will show support and wear a helmet and shoes too.

 STUDENTS FROM SAN JUAN ELEMENTARY AND KINOSHITA ELEMENTARY ARE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A FREE BIKE HELMET AND MUST PRESENT A RELEASE FORM SIGNED BY A PARENT OR GUARDIAN. HELMETS OFFERED BY THE ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT AND ARE PROVIDED BY THE ORANGE COUNTY HEALTH CARE AGENCY