Monte Vista Bike Giveaway
Monte Vista Students Gifted With Bikes By Local Group
16th year of donation from local road bicycle aficionados
Forty-two years ago a small group of road bicyclists in North County hosted a golf tournament to raise money to benefit their community. What started as a few people has ballooned into a group of almost 100 people who contribute all of the net money raised to purchase bicycles for area students. For the past 16 years that group has worked with Monte Vista Elementary to share a love of bicycling with students.
On Friday, December 15th, one of the group’s members presented two brand new bicycles to a brother-sister pair of students during the school-wide Flag Friday assembly. Third-grade teacher Annjanette Zielger led the process for the school, as her husband is part of the group that donated the bicycles.
Mrs. Ziegler’s husband works at Escondido-based Consolidated Electrical Distributors alongside many of the people involved in the effort. “They have a golf tournament where all proceeds go to funding the bikes given to the students. That's what the whole tournament is about. As a group of people who go road biking together, they want to make sure that kids are outdoors and enjoying those activities.”
Dr. Patrick Noll, a Vista-based chiropractor, is one of the group's core members, and he was present at the school to present the bicycles to the students.
“We started this [golf] tournament 42 years ago,” says Dr. Noll. “We started off with a couple of foursomes, and over the years it's grown. About 16 years ago we saw that we had a connection here at Monte Vista and we started buying bikes for the school. We now have about 80 to 90 people who do this every year.”
The group is completely independent - simply a collection of people with the same mindset to enjoy their hobbies and put those hobbies to use to benefit their community.
Adding to the benefits found in the group’s generosity is Vista Unified’s emphasis on bike safety. “Bike safety has become a new initiative in our district,” says Monte Vista Principal Kerry Perez. “The district is working with the San Diego County Bike Coalition, doing bike safety nights for parents and families. So what this gift is doing also fits in nicely with our district focus and supporting that safety.”
The recipients were thrilled to receive their bicycles complete with stylish helmets. The brother and sister, in fifth- and first grade, respectively, were all smiles at the sight of their new rides.