50 BIKES + 50 TREES = 50 HAPPY FAMILIES
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – On December 8, The Bahati Foundation, through its partnership with Giant Bicycles and LA-based Methods To Winning Cycling LLC, held its first annual Bike and Holiday Tree Giveaway in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The Bahati Foundation, led by Giant ambassador and seven-time U.S. National Pro Champion Cyclist Rahsaan Bahati, launched in 2010 with a mission to support inner-city youth in under-served communities through the sport of cycling, inspirational speaking and educational programs.
Through its community partners, this holiday season the foundation identified low-income families with children aged 4-12 deserving of a new bike, toys, locks, helmet and a tree for the holidays.
As Leimert Park Village Plaza began to fill and the giveaway time neared, it was easy to feel the excitement in the air as kids and families anxiously awaited their gifts of bikes, holiday trees and toys alike.
Matt Kephart, Giant USA’s National Sales Manager, referred to the event as “probably one of my favorite days in my career so far.”
“First huge thanks to Rahsaan, his family and the Bahati Foundation, LAPD, and all of the other sponsors for providing this great opportunity,” says Kephart. “When Rahsaan came to us and asked if we would be interested, without hesitation we were all in. Spreading the freedom and joy of cycling—especially this time of year—is core to our values at Giant and Liv.”
Kephart says the best part of the event was all the fist bumps from the kids getting the new bikes. “This is merely the first step of many in our partnership with Rahsaan and the Bahati Foundation and we couldn’t be more excited,” he says.
Thanks to all our event partners and special thanks to Right On Bike Shop and Co/Op in Leimert Park for providing an added bonus for all our young bike riders - a free bike safety and training session, as part of the Metro Bicycle Education Safety Training (BEST) Program.
To see more event photos click link below: