Testimonials | Trips For Kids Vancouver

ANTHONY NGUYEN, Age 16
First of all I would like to give thanks to Trips for Kids for providing the van, the trailer, the bikes, the trips. Thank you Tara and Fleurie for being the coolest, laid-back leaders, for teaching us the range of necessary biking skills, and also for driving us to and back from the awesome trips.
This summer has got to be, no doubt, the best summer of my life with the help Trips for Kids program, period. The team couldn’t have done it without the all-star program leaders, Tara and Fleurie. I mean you’re working with consistent, quality leaders who knows their stuff about mountain biking, and who are with you all through your journey. Going into this program I had thought that biking was just plain biking, as it was just to move your feet on your pedals and get going where you wanted to go. However, I was dumbfounded when the group was taught about braking and shifting gears properly, commuting within a group, signalling stops and turns, bike maintenance, or about the different body positions or different seat heights for different riding styles. We were riding mountain trails, forest trails, downhill, cross-country, trial parks (Ryan Leech is the best!), bump tracks, dirt jumps, rocky terrain, heavily wooded terrain, and even a beginner’s trial competition… name the game and they’ve got it on a lock-down. Oh yeah, and who could forget the camping trip in Whistler! The pouring rain, garbage bag rain jackets, the dreaded tent poles, the missing dropped Clif Bar, overload on tent capacity, Eric’s laugh watching comedy videos in the night, the missing locker key in the swimming pool, freeloading on Monster Energy Drinks, Paul’s scream on the rough trials, Ryan Leech’s performance, first time on a trials competition, and the ride back home. Good times I’d say.
I see and believe that this program has a prominent mission: to get the kids out of houses away from screens, and to enjoy life outdoors on bikes. I also believe it’s the purest nature of this program that brings out my interest, to be taught biking up-front, in your face, and at your own pace. You don’t need years of biking experience or a bike to begin with. Trips for Kids provide the bikes, you provide the commitment. I joined this program midway through the summer, and ever since my passion of biking has grown more solid in my life and that much harder to die out. Get your bike on!

ALEX GEE, Age 14
I was offered a great opportunity to explore life and stress issues with Trips for Kids. Having undergone two full completion courses of Social Studies 10 and English 10 all in one month during summer school, I had been struggling with the constant stress resulting from the homework, projects, tests, and provincial exams. When Trips for Kids phoned me one night for a day of fun and volunteering next day, it was not only a turning point but a blessing in the form of a phone call. As I completed more bike rides, Trips for Kids gave me the courage and confidence to start making bold changes in my life. I also felt that this organization really engaged with me in a hands-on-experience that offered a fun and effective solution to relieve and finally overcome the stress I had endured. Trips for Kids has an effective yet thrilling approach which was both encouraging and empowering. I not only found a new lifetime hobby, but a chance to start recommending my family and friends to experience mountain biking as a solution to de-stress and feel so much focused and positive for life.
Trips for Kids isn’t just an organization that allowed children to experience the thrill of mountain biking. It helped carve a new trail for the lives of everyday kids that have limited access to mountain biking, which prepared them for a successful future. The organization also taught us essentials important for life such as leadership and cooperation through the fun of mountain biking and outdoor ventures. These important essentials taught by Trips by Kids are what makes their participants and leaders the next generation of responsible and active adults. Thank you Trips for Kids!

Here is a great quote that shows how biking can help kids move forward in life.
“The world lies right beyond the handlebars of any bicycle.”
- Daniel Behrman

P.S. I REALLY LIKED THE CLIFF BARS

PAUL LIANG, Age 16
Hey Tara and Fleurie! This summer has been one of my most craziest summers yet! Mountain biking with you guys has been really fun. I was really nervous meeting all the other kids for the first time, but as time passed, I got to know everyone a little better and have become friends with everyone. The camping trip that we had a while ago was an awesome experience for me. I learned a lot about my friends, going through bike trails, and confronted my fear of wood-built trails. I never really like them. My favourite trip in the summer was the camping trip! I passed trails I never though I could of, I saw beautiful stars at night, met a professional biker named Ryan Leech in person and boy, was he a good biker! I really had a memorable experience with everyone, laughing at each other, supporting each other, and mad at everyone for taking the last bit of pepperoni! Haha, just kidding around, but seriously, loved that trip, and never regretted it.
This summer has been a blast for me, and I hope so for everyone too. I learned a lot about eating healthy and learnt about a whole new nutrition chart that I had never heard of. I finally know the difference between a good product to a bad one, so I know how to shop smart now! I learnt how to fix parts of bikes, like the chain, the wheels, and I learned how to fix and identify the hole in a tire if I ever have one. Its been fun riding with you guys and I can’t wait for the next one so thanks guys for letting me take part in the Trips For Kids program!!! Bye for now!

TONY LAU, Age 14
Trips For Kids is a great program to let kids go biking instead of sitting in front of the computer all day long. TFK also gave me self confidence in the things I thought I could never do, like going down hills filled with obstacles, big rocks, and steep drops. I also felt like I helped out in the community by helping build trails for bikes. TFK is probably the best free program that I have ever been in.

ERIC ETIENNE, Age 17
As a city guy, I don’t get many chances to do things in the wilderness, but Trips For Kids has given me a lot of opportunities that I never would have had. My favourite experience was going to Crankworx in Whistler. If it hadn’t been for TFK, I never would have gone to it, or even known about it.
We need more organizations like this one because I know there are a lot of children out there that would have their lives changed by TFK.