Another Round of Riding for Focus Grants Awarded!

There’s a lot of new kids on the block—of course riding bikes! The Specialized Foundation announced 41 new middle school grant recipients for the 2019-2020 Riding for Focus school program. With the addition of these new schools, The Specialized Foundation will now support more than 33,000 new students next year, across 130 schools, in 45 states and Canada.

The program integrates cycling into the physical education curriculum as a means to help students achieve academic, health, and social success. We want to sincerely thank all schools that applied this year. In the months ahead, students will gain access to the Riding for Focus program curriculum, a fleet of bikes, a starter maintenance kit, and bike helmets to activate the program this fall.

Additionally, school champions will be attending an in-person training session hosted by The Specialized Foundation staff to ensure success as new schools integrate the program into their classrooms this fall.The schedule also includes attending The Specialized Foundation Research Summit at Stanford University.

“We could not be more excited about this opportunity to get more kids on bikes and bring a cycling program to our students”.

-- Jeremy Batholow, new Riding for Focus Champion, South Middle School, Morgantown, West Virginia

One of the first schools to make the local news was South Middle School in Morgantown, West Virginia. South Middle School’s passion for biking will only grow with the national grant. Jeremy Bartholow, industrial arts teacher applied for the grant and currently leads the school Bike Club with over 65 students riding monthly.

Students at South Middle School in Morgantown, West Virginia Celebrate National Bike Month and BIke to School Day

Jeremy shared, “We are going to have a complete class on cycling, not just a unit within the physical education program and will teach the 9-week bike class that will be available year round. You just have to have the passion and desire to get out and ride”. Watch the breaking news clip on Channel 5 WDTV.com.

Hip Hip Hurray— to all of the new Riding for Focus grant recipients!