Marty Herbert
For the tenth year in a row the SaddleBrooke CycleMasters and the SaddleBrooke Progress have teamed up to make a difference in children’s lives. At the end of the 2016-17 school year the CycleMasters awarded 18 bicycles and helmets to deserving children in the Mammoth, San Manuel and Oracle Elementary Schools.
The effort, headed up by CycleMaster Ken Perkins, is designed to reward the most improved students in grades one through six in each school. Since the program’s inception in 2008 the club has supplied 120 top-end children’s bicycles and helmets. The Oracle Elementary School was just added this year.
Each bicycle and helmet is customized to fit each child. The school administrators supply the names of the deserving students as well as their dimensions to Ken. He then contacts Oro Valley Bicycle which orders the bicycles from Raleigh Bicycles. The bicycles are then assembled and checked out by the mechanics at Oro Valley Bicycle. The CycleMasters pick up and deliver the bikes to the schools and attend the award ceremonies. The response from the administration, teachers, parents and students is very rewarding. It always culminates into a memorable and emotional experience.
All of this is made possible through the CycleMasters’ association with the SaddleBrooke Progress. The Cyclemasters proudly deliver 5,000 plus papers each month and get compensated accordingly. The funds earned are used in part to finance this club project. “We have a wonderful working relationship with Robson Publishing,” states Mike Brenny, president of the CycleMasters. “We work together to make a difference in these children’s lives. We couldn’t do it without the support of Robson Publishing and the 50 plus delivery and administrative personnel our club provides every month.”
If you would be interested in joining our club please check out our website at saddlebrookecyclemasters.org. We are an active, caring club who takes great pride in our sport, our community and cherish our friendships. Come join us!