HAMPTON, Va. — For many kids, riding a bike is the first taste of freedom before driving a car.
This was why two Bethel High School students partnered with a nonprofit this weekend to help local kids put their feet on bike pedals.
Eleventh-grade students Ryan Goodwin and Evan Bell explained that their project to bring more bikes into the community stemmed from a school assignment. It included a presentation about getting more bikes in the community and addressing bike safety.
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After getting their grades, the two students wanted to pursue this cause and partnered with Hampton Strong, an organization that helps fix donated bikes and gives them to kids in Hampton and surrounding areas.
On Saturday, the high school juniors hosted a ride and build-a-bike event at Sandy Bottom Park Playground in Hampton. Bikes that needed a little extra air or a turn of a tool were fixed up.
Ryan and Evan told News 3 that bikes are more than just a method of transportation.
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"Bikes are a very fun tool of exploration. I mean it's the early version of a car I mean just to have that freedom," said Bell. "We really want kids to have that childhood memory of learning how to ride a bike because we realize that it's a really precious moment we believe that every kid should have and be able to have," added Goodwin.
During the event, members of the community donated bikes to support the cause.
