Clipped In for Life

Needs

Clipped In for Life's youth program impact has grown 10-fold in the past four years. In 2025, we directed more than 6,700 youth participant days where we engaged a kid age 14&under on a bicycle.

In 2026 we look to expand our programming to more recipients through a $328k grant we received from California Natural Resources Agency. The Youth Community Access Grant allows us to put on six all-day, full week summer camps in Folsom that empower youth to discover how bicycles are a tool for physical health, mental health, and an instrument to connect them with nature and their community.

Each participant will be given a bicycle, helmet, lock, and repair tools at the beginning of the week. Daily curriculum will include life skills such as bike handling skills, bike repair skills, traffic safety, trail etiquette, nutrition, first aid, navigation skills, and more. Daily field trips using the adjacent bike trails will allow youth to ride their bikes to cultural and natural resources.

Your support during Big Day of Giving will help us grow these programs and fulfill the need for more riding opportunities for kids in our community.

Learn-to-Ride: Since 2022, this program has enabled almost 700 kids to learn how to confidently ride a bicycle without training wheels. To continue growing, our Learn-to-Ride program needs include refurbishing our well-loved fleet of bikes, purchasing new helmets for kids to borrow, providing more class time slots and hiring experienced coaches, and purchasing larger Strider bikes to teach older kids and people with developmental disabilities how to ride.

Grip Academy: Our newest program teaches life-long cycling skills like traffic safety, bike maintenance and technology, first-aid, stewardship, and fitness. Modeled after the martial arts style of teaching, kids progress through different colored grips instead of different colored belts. More than 70 kids have enrolled since the program launched in Fall 2024. To continue growing, our Grip Academy program needs include purchasing custom engraved grips and equipment for practicing skills, and providing more class time slots and hiring experienced coaches.

678 Junior High Ride Club: This non-competitive program provides an opportunity for middle school kids to take their riding skill, fitness and social experience to the next level. To continue growing, our 678 Ride Club program needs include launching a volunteer coach and ride leader training program.

Summer Ride Camps: We take advantage of the summer to create weeks filled with big adventure and discovery by bike. In 2025 our 2nd-3rd graders rode more than 50 miles as they explored Folsom, and our 6th-8th graders rode over 100 miles as they expanded their horizons into the surrounding hills.