Truscott Second Graders Live it up With New Bikes

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Aliviya Martinez, 7, gets some help riding her new bike from Todd Parker with McWhinney on Friday at Truscott Elementary in Loveland. McWhinney Real Estate partnered with Wish for Wheels to provide free bikes to second graders at the school. (Jenny Sparks/Loveland Reporter-Herald)

By WILL COSTELLO | wcostello@prairiemountainmedia.com | Reporter-Herald

PUBLISHED: November 3, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.

McWhinney Real Estate and Development partnered with Wish for Wheels, a nonprofit that provides bikes to young students, to assemble and distribute 41 bicycles at Truscott Elementary School on Friday afternoon.

Wish for Wheels, founded 15 years ago, provides bikes to schools with large portions of students identified as needing additional assistance.

Wish for Wheels encourages both freedom and healthy habits among young people, said Juniper Finch, a build-give specialist with Wish for Wheels.

Samantha Cran with McWhinney Real Estate helps second grader Dean Brunmeier adjust his new helmet to go with his new bicycle on Friday at Truscott Elementary in Loveland. (Jenny Sparks/Loveland Reporter-Herald)

“First of all bikes just mean freedom for kids,” Finch said. “But also the physical activity. Studies have shown 20 minutes of physical activity per day can have similar benefits to kids as a single dose of ADHD stimulant medication.”

The freedom to ride around the neighborhood and spend time with friends is an important reason for the new bikes, said Todd Parker, a McWhinney employee who was helping Aliviya Martinez stay safe on her new bike. He said that in talking with Martinez, she felt trapped in her immediate neighborhood since having to give away a bike with training wheels that she had outgrown.

“I don’t know actually, but it might,” Martinez said when asked if the bike would allow her greater freedom. “If I could get used to actually riding it a lot, then yes.”

Parker, an avid biker who was first exposed to Wish for Wheels on Friday, said, “This is a really neat kind of rewarding thing. It fills your bucket. It’s a neat day.”

It’s the third year that McWhinney, a Colorado developer with an office in Loveland, has partnered with Wish for Wheels.

“One of our core brand pillars, community engagement and impact, is supporting underserved youth in our community,” said Celeste Smith, senior marketing and communications director for McWhinney. “Making sure that they have a bright future. So we are big supporters of the Thompson School District. And Wish for Wheels aligns with that brand pillar of giving back to our community and serving those youth. We believe in and align with what Wish for Wheels is doing, so it’s a natural fit for both of us to come together, partner and impact these children’s lives.”