Hundreds of students at Edgewood ISD are set to earn their wheels this fall.
This is thanks to the work of Earn-A-Bike Coop, a nonprofit that connects people and bikes. Students attend weekly classes about nutrition, bike safety and maintenance. They also have to maintain their grades. As the school semester ends, students will “earn” a new bike, which they will put together with the help of volunteers.
Last year, Earn-A-Bike worked with students at Edgewood’s Roy Cisneros Elementary School as well as Pershing Elementary School, which is part of San Antonio Independent School District.
Thanks to grant funding from the Nancy Smith Hurd Foundation and the San Antonio Area Foundation the program will expand this year. Earn-A-Bike will be present in seven Edgewood ISD schools, including Cisneros Elementary, said Destiny Mujica, Earn-A-Bike’s school program manager.
At least 300 students will earn bikes. These are new bikes purchased through Crossroad Bikes at cost.
The school program is part of Earn-A-Bike’s larger mission in the community. The nonprofit also runs a community bike shop at the Ella Austin Community Center where anyone in the community can learn how to build a bike. It also has Cycling Without Age, which promotes mobility for the elderly; and Pedaling to Work, which provides bikes as transportation to get to work or look for a job.
But the school program stands out because it fosters learning, incentivizes work, connects volunteers from across the community with students at low-income schools and supports health and fitness.
For example, when these students eventually “earn” their bikes, they will also “earn” a free subscription for their parents to use SWell Cycle, San Antonio’s bike share program. That means families could easily ride bikes together.
Volunteers are welcome. For more information, head to Earn-A-Bike’s website at www.earnabikecoop.org