Volunteers keep wheels turning on cycling program for 30 years
by Emily Canning-Dean
Thanks to the commitment of scores of volunteers over the last three decades, Cycling Schools Inc. has provided thousands of area school children with what is often a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
More than 13,000 fourth- through sixth-grade students from urban school districts in Cleveland and Akron have enjoyed cycling and hiking in Cuyahoga Valley National Park at no cost thanks to CS. The organization provides each child with a bicycle and a helmet, as well as snacks and lunch, so they can spend a day enjoying a guided ride on the scenic towpath.
“CS offers kids the opportunity – who might otherwise never have the chance – to experience riding a bike and discovering nature as part of a school field trip,” said Ron Ring, a Richfield resident who has volunteered for CS for seven years and has served on the organization’s board of directors for the past two years. “Many of the kids that come out for the day with Cycling Schools have never been in a national park or have been this close to nature. They are learning as they are having fun. In addition to cycling etiquette on the towpath, they learn about the history of the towpath, benefits of national parks, animals and plants in the park and more.”
CS was a vision of Kathy Coady-Sansone, who led the first ride 30 years ago and is still an active mainstay of the program.
“At the time this all began, I was volunteering in an urban school district every Friday,” she said. “I would help in the physical education department. I loved the towpath, and I loved the national park, and I thought it would be fun to bring those kids out to the park.”
Around this time, Coady-Sansone’s bicycle was stolen, and after contacting the Cleveland Police Department, she learned the department had an impound lot that contained hundreds of stolen or abandoned bikes.
“I wrote a letter asking what they did with all those bikes because I thought it would be great to give them to children in need,” she said. “I heard from the chief of police who told me to go down to the impound lot and pick up some bikes. That’s how we got connected with the Cleveland Police Department, and a police officer would come out and ride with us the first couple years of the program.”
Coady-Sansone said the program offered four rides that first year, but now CS offers 20 rides per year thanks to volunteers who have written grants, solicited donations and dedicated their time to accompanying students on the outings.
A few years into the program, Scott Stuetzer came on board.
“He is the president of our organization and when he joined us, things really blossomed,” Coady-Sansone said. “We ended up becoming a 501(c)(3) and we had very generous donors and successful fundraisers.”
Involvement from park rangers at Cuyahoga Valley National Park has also been an asset to the program.
“The strong partnership between CVNP and Cycling Schools ensures a safe and enriching experience for the kids,” Ring said. “On the organizational side, it’s a very dedicated base of volunteers that has sustained the program and makes it so meaningful for the kids.”
While many of the students enjoy the 12-mile bike ride on the towpath, kids with less cycling experience aren’t left out.
“We test the kids on the bike, and if they can’t ride, then we take them on a hike,” Coady-Sansone said. “They still get to enjoy a 3-mile trip, and we go up the Brandywine trail to the waterfalls.”
Coady-Sansone said hearing about the excitement the experience creates for students makes CS an endeavor of which she is proud.
“We have a teacher who has been coming out with his students for the last 20 years, and he has said students will come up to him and tell him this is their favorite field trip,” she said. “He said students will ask him as soon as the first day of school if they will be able to go on the bike program.”
Coady-Sansone said she is excited to celebrate the organization’s 30th anniversary this year.
“We don’t have anything special planned yet, but we have talked about making a banner to mark the occasion,” she said. “I’m just so grateful to all the people who have come together to make this successful. So many people have worked very hard.”
“Given Cycling Schools is a nonprofit and 100% volunteer organization, it’s the generosity of donors and grantors that allow us to remain a turnkey program,” Ring said.
To learn more about CS, how to donate or how to volunteer, visit cyclingschools.org.
Photo caption: Children have been assigned bikes and helmets at the CVNP Visitor’s Center and are ready to ride on the Towpath. Photo provided by Cycling Schools Inc.