Eastman Immigrant Services launches bike initiative for children of newcomers

Eastman Immigrant Services is launching a new initiative that strives to give new bikes to the children of newcomers aged 10 to 14 who are low-income and do not currently own a bike.

“We decided that we wanted to do this because we saw there was a need for it in our community. Biking is an important activity for all children but especially in rural areas like Steinbach where there’s no public transportation available,” said Tiffany Froese, settlement worker in schools for Eastman Immigrant Services (EIS) in Steinbach.

“We’re looking to fill that large gap that currently exists in our community. Having a bike provides freedom and promotes positive physical and mental wellbeing and it provides access to many other activities that some of these youths may not be able to attend without a bike.”

The program will run from July 14 to 18 two hours each day and will teach children how to take care of their bikes and fix their bikes by LaBikerie, which is a community bike repair shop in La Broquerie. Representatives from the RCMP and Manitoba Public Insurance will be on hand to teach children how to ride their bikes safely and follow the rules of the road.

Twenty bikes and helmets will be available thanks to the Canadian Tire Jumpstart program which provided EIS with grant money.

To apply, parents can visit eis.carmis.ai/event-registration/.