The Engineers Advisory Council of the Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association and the Hawai‘i Bicycling League have donated a new fleet of 60 bikes and helmets to the Kalihi Valley Instructional Bicycle Exchange and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hawai‘i.

The $15,000 donation of equipment was accompanied by a volunteer day organized by the Engineers Advisory Council to assemble the bikes Aug. 31 at Jefferson Elementary School. An old fleet of kids’ bikes was also donated, an announcement said.

The Bicycling League’s BikeEd program, primarily funded through a city Department of Transportation Services grant, has been teaching bike safety to fourth graders since 1989. The five-day course is available to elementary schools across Oahu.

“Teaching our keiki bicycling skills and good bike habits is one of Hawai‘i Bicycling League’s most important and rewarding functions. We help kids have fun and be active outdoors while increasing their safety,” said Travis Counsell, executive director.

Eric Au, chair of the Engineering Advisory Council, said, “Our EAC Build-A-Bike event is one of our key highlights of the year, as we strive to make an uplifting impact with our keiki while at the same time supporting an essential educational BikeEd program.”

As part of BikeEd’s 35th anniversary, the Bicycling League is raising funds to also replace the truck used to transport bikes to the schools. Learn more at hbl.org/bikeed35.