Program puts wheels in motion

Dania Beach PATCH continues Earn-A-Bike program

The Dania Beach PATCH community garden and FLIPANY are partnering to provide bikes to youngsters.

FLIPANY’s (Florida Introduces Physical Activity and Nutrition to Youth) Earn-A-Bike program, supported by the Broward Regional Health Planning Council, is now in its third year.

“Our CEO is an avid mountain biker,” said FLIPANY’s Jennifer Hoffman, “and she wanted to bring a youth bike program to South Florida.”

The program is twofold. First, FLIPANY hosts training sessions for volunteers, who learn how to implement the program and work with the youngsters in the building process.

Then, for eight-week sessions, kids come in and work with volunteers, FLIPANY staff, Lee’s Bicycle Shop and RBX mechanics as they learn to build and maintain a bicycle. At the end of the eight weeks, kids take home a bicycle.

“The whole point is to get more kids on bikes and get kids exercis- ing,” Hoffman said. “It’s also a form of transportation for teens that need to get to and from school or a job.”

In its first two years in Broward, the program has helped more than 280 middle and high school students.

“For us, it is an important program because it provides some skill sets for the youth of the com- munity,” said the PATCH’s Dion Taylor. “Those skills include learning to be responsible for something, learning the mechanics of fixing a bicycle and teamwork. It’s about camaraderie, responsibility, accomplishment and being active.”

At recent workshops, Dania Beach PATCH had 15 volunteers show up for training. This is PATCH’s second year participating in the program.

“The kids love it,” Taylor said. “They can’t wait to come back this year. They’ve gone home with their bikes and told their friends.”

Taylor wants to make the PATCH more than just a community garden.

“We want it to be a place that the people in the Dania Beach community feel comfortable hanging out,” he said. “The importance is really highlighting the revitalization of urban areas. Special programs and events like movie nights help energize the community.”

For more information on Earn-A-Bike, visit Touchbroward.org/EAB.

The PATCH is at 1201 W. Dania Beach Blvd. For more information, call 954924-6801.