Brand new bikes bring big smiles to kindergartners

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COMMERCE CITY – Trying to keep the doors closed on 72 kindergartners on the last day of school is a challenge.

Six-year-old Estrella Espinosa will tell you trying to keep those doors closed when there are 72 new Huffy Rockit bicycles and helmets waiting for them proved to be impossible Monday morning at Alsup Elementary in Commerce City.

"I guess it's a pretty big deal," said Espinosa, who's excited to have graduated from kindergarten, but more excited about her impending summer vacation. "It's great."

The free bicycles and helmets are courtesy of Wish for Wheels, a local non-profit that will provide graduation presents to 325 low-income kindergartners around the metro area in the next few weeks. The group's goal is to give each kid a "brand new bike" as many of their families could not afford to do so.

"It's wonderful chaos," said Alsup Principal Lynn Heintzman as she surveyed the kids riding around the school playground. "We don't have opportunities a lot of other students and families have, but we make due. We find organizations like Wish for Wheels to make our children's dreams come true. If they can't afford a bike as a family, we're able to give them a bike at least in their kindergarten years."

Wish for Wheels was founded in 2004 by Brad Appel, who himself loves riding bikes. He's signed up dozens of volunteers and raised thousands of dollars to ensure a new school's kindergarten class is added each summer. This year, the non-profit will reach four low-income elementary schools.

"We do it the last day of school, so they have a new bike to ride all summer long," said Appel. "(It gets them) away from video games, off the couch, and away from the TV and out riding bikes."

Appel says he hears only one complaint from kids like Estrella and it relates to the training wheels that come attached to each of the bicycles. Chances are they'll be off by the time the kids enter first grade.

"We try to keep the training wheels on until parents get here," Appel said.

For more information, visit www.wishforwheels.org.