עברית
100 Kids Learn to ride Bikes !
On Two days in July, some 30 neighborhood kids, mostly Ethiopian immigrants, gathered at the Yoseftal community center in Petach Tikvah to learn how to ride a bicycle. Another 70 kids, who already knew how to ride bikes, and lots of volunteers, also joined the activity at the center which was great fun for all concerned. The initiative for this activity came from Shai Kosty and his group of tank reservists who decided they wanted to get to know the neighborhood children by doing something fun with them. The Israel Cycling Federation helped out and fitted the activity into its “Bikes For All” project: http://www.bikes4all.org.il
Shai Costy, the leader of the activity, explained that his idea had been to try to bring together segments of Israeli society that hardly meet so that they could get to know each other. He added: “It wasn’t just a cycling lesson: there was also the mix of Sabra Israelis with the newcomers, all having fun together. It was very clear that the initiative was really successful and we look forward to more such meetings, with more participants and more volunteers.” Costy, a 30 year-old chemical engineer at Kodak, began to take an interest in the neighborhood of the Yoseftal community center in Petach Tikvah, when he volunteered to deliver Kodak’s food packages to help the local people celebrate Passover with dignity. He felt that just delivering a package and saying “hag same’akh” wasn’t enough to make a difference. Then while cycling, which is his hobby, he came up with the idea of doing a cycling activity in the neighborhood. “Almost every kid in Israel knows how to ride a bike,” he points out, “and now also the kids of the Yoseftal neighborhood can ride too.”
Eyal Hershtik, the director of the Bikes For All project said: “What happened here was just amazing! We had planned on having 30 kids in the activity and there were about 100 who all took part and enjoyed themselves. We hope that this cycling activity will continue and bring lots more delight as it did to the kids of Petach Tikvah.”
The “Or Yarok” non-profit organization found and donated 30 bicycles and helmets for this activity. “Or Yarok’s mission this year is to promote safe cycling,” says Shmuel Aboab, the director. “Research proves that helmets are very effective in reducing head injuries among cyclists. Therefore we encourage the use of helmets, which cyclists also are required to wear by law.”
