ABOUT TFK…Our Purpose…Mission…Vision
Purpose. To function as a public charity that serves the New River region in southern West Virginia, focusing on the Fayette County area..
Mission. To provide outdoor outings (bike rides, climbing, whitewater rafting, and hikes), community service, and educational opportunities for kids that do not have access to these types of activities within their communities or environments.
Vision. To combine lessons in personal responsibility, self-empowerment, achievement, and community service so that kids are equipped with tools for building positive accomplishments and relationships within their communities and their lives.
How TRIPS FOR KIDS got started…
In 1986 Marilyn Price founded Trips for Kids Marin to serve San Francisco Bay Area communities. Trips for Kids Marin, based in San Rafael, California, is a non-profit organization that takes inner city and low-income kids on mountain bike rides in Marin County. It has expanded from a once-a-week operation to organizing rides on Saturday and Sunday every weekend of the year, along with mid-week rides during the summer. In addition, the program has grown to include two Earn-A-Bike programs for low-income youth and a thrift shop that repairs and recycles hundreds of bikes each year. Because of the success of Trips for Kids in the San Francisco Bay Area, Marilyn Price promoted national expansion by looking for individuals and groups who have a committed interest in helping low-income kids and who know that cycling is a wonderful experience to share with kids." The goal of this expansion is to reach as many kids as possible. "It just doesn’t seem fair that outdoor experiences such as mountain biking aren’t available to everyone - especially to kids," says Price. "Our goal has always been to help set that straight a little bit. There’s something about bikes and kids and the outdoors…." Price has great confidence in the value of Trips for Kids rides. "Once they make it up a hill, I know they’ve learned something. As one boy said after a ride, ‘I learned that if I stick with it, I can make it to the top.’ If he can transfer that experience to other areas of his life, we’ve accomplished a lot."
Julie PhillipsTrips for Kids New River
RR 2, Box 222
Fayetteville, WV 25840
email: Julie Phillips