The Chestnut Family Foundation has committed to donating $450,000 over the next two years to fund the Georgia Hi-Lo Trail’s expansion of the Kids Bike League program. The program focuses on empowering children in grades 2nd through 8th with confidence and life skills through mountain biking, focusing specifically on children who aren’t usually present in the cycling and outdoor community. It teaches skills such as balance, trail building and safety, and will now offer classes in all eight counties that the Georgia Hi-Lo Trail serves: Greene, Hancock, Washington, Johnson, Emanuel, Bulloch, Effingham and Chatham.
The Kids Bike League program began in 2019, serving 50 children in one county and will now be able to serve 640 children in eight counties every year. They’ll offer four week-long summer camps and a winter camp program with monthly trail workdays in each county throughout the year. The program will emphasize creating positive relationships with the trail communities and teach participants to be stewards of the land by creating new mountain biking trails in their communities.
The need for investment in children who live in our rural communities is great. The Chestnut Family Foundation is proud to support the expansion of this important program. Ben and Teresa Chestnut commented, “We are inspired by the vision for the Georgia Hi-Lo Trail and the Kids Bike League program. Programs like the Kids Bike League are critical to empower and instill confidence in children in our rural communities and inspire the next generation of leaders and land stewards.”
Images courtesy of David Brooker from the 2021 Kaolin Festival Parade