עברית
Some 270 children and youth participated in the "Bikes For All" event in the Yarkon Park
The Israel Cycling Federation's "Bikes For All" project launched its third popular event on Friday 15 May 2009. 12 cycling clubs from all over Israel arrived in buses at the Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv to take part in the event. These clubs were formed in the past year in order to promote the Bikes For All project, to enable children and youth to cycle as a regular activity in their lives. When the buses arrived, the club members received T-shirts, bikes for those who didn't have their own, and a guide who led them out to the path along the Yarkon River.
The trip along the river and through the park was a great excitement, especially for the children who had never visited the area before. They stopped and wondered at all the attractions in the park, including the Seven Mills historical site, the wildlife enclosure where some of them fed the ducks, the Yarkon basin, and the sea. When they finished their trip, the young cyclists visited Bikes 2009, the National Bicycle Exhibition, where they enjoyed many displays, performances, a fashion show and lots of action.
15 volunteers accompanied the youngsters for the event, giving up their usual Friday morning activities for the benefit of the important Bikes For All event.
View the photos of the event on: http://www.bikes4all.org.il/he/galleries/293.html
Photos: Idan Peled and Guy Shachar
Mr. Yunes, sports director of the Tuba Zangriya Regional Council which oversees the activities of the Bedouin settlements in the north, east of Rosh Pina, said that this was the first time that youth from his region had participated in such an event. He said: "The children and youth returned home with an unforgettable and interesting experience. Now we are upgrading our local cycling club, which is part of the Bikes For All project, to make it nicer."
Eyal Hershtik added: "It was wonderful to see all the youngsters who came today and to see their enjoyment of cycling. It makes us appreciate how important and right this project is, when we know that for many this was an unforgettable experience. I want to thank all the many volunteers for their help as well as the organizers of Bikes 2009. I would like to invite more cyclists to join the effort, to give to and to volunteer for the Bikes For All project so that we can enable thousands of children to enjoy cycling activities in the near future."
The Bikes For All project includes environmental education, through cycling activities. The children who take part in the project learn many values, such as love of the land, team spirit, respect for equipment and property, health and nutrition, co-existence, and more. The project is subsidized by the Israeli government's Sports office. For further details, see: http://www.bikes4all.org.il
The project is remarkable for the diversity of its participants: 11 clubs in the Jewish sector, 3 in the Bedouin sector (in the north and the south of Israel) and 1 club in the Druze community. Some of these clubs engage in educating and helping children and youth at risk.
