First Bike Rodeo to launch for children on August 24, 2024

MIAMI, FL – Friends of The Underline (FUL) announced a $100,000 grant from the Honda USA Foundation. This generous grant will support The Way Kids Roll: Safety @ The Underline, a series of free, family-friendly, walk and bike educational programs designed to facilitate a safe multimodal transportation environment in Miami. The series kicks off on Saturday, August 24th in the new Hammock Playground, The Underline’s nature-inspired amenity with play equipment, engaging public art, and lush native plants and trees. 

Miami-Dade County is one of the most hazardous areas in the U.S. for pedestrians and cyclists. According to the 2021 Dangerous by Design report, the county has one of the highest rates of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in the nation. The Underline offers safe, off-road urban multimodal trails and strives to provide safe connections for adjacent neighborhoods. 

As safety and mobility are core values of FUL, support from the Honda USA Foundation will significantly further the organization’s mission to enhance the cycling and pedestrian experience. The initiative will offer traffic safety events that incorporate awareness programs promoting bike and pedestrian safety for youth and their families. These events will include bicycle handling and safety skill training through bike rodeos, educational programs led by the University of Miami KiDZ Neuroscience Center’s WalkSafe and BikeSafe programs, and community engagement activities.

“We are thrilled to support The Way Kids Roll: Safety @ The Underline program.  Whether it’s walking, biking or driving, everyone should feel safe both on and off the road. By working together, we know we can save lives,” said Bobbie Trittschuh, Executive Director, Honda USA Foundation. 

The series will feature:

• Bike Rodeos: Led by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine KiDZ Neuroscience Center’s WalkSafe and BikeSafe programs, these rodeos will teach kids bicycle handling and safety skills in a controlled environment. 
• Bike Repairs: Provided by local nonprofits such as Break The Cycle, offering free bike repairs to participants and their families.
• Bike & Safety Gear Giveaways: Distribution of free helmets, safety lights, and bike giveaways to ensure that every child can ride safely. A raffle will be held for a free bike at each Rodeo event.
• Community Engagement: Collaboration with local law enforcement for event safety and instruction, and outreach to diverse neighborhoods and schools along The Underline, including disadvantaged communities such as Little Havana, Overtown, and West Grove/Carver. Programs will be offered in both English and Spanish to serve Miami’s diverse population.

The Way Kids Roll: Safety @ The Underline aims to reach a broad audience across Miami, utilizing The Underline’s 2.64 miles. This initiative will empower communities, particularly children, by providing safe and educational experiences.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Honda USA Foundation for this opportunity to provide families a much-needed outlet for children to learn how to bike and walk safely in Miami,” said Patrice Gillespie Smith, President & COO of Friends of The Underline. “The Foundation’s exceptional commitment to safety and mobility aligns perfectly with our mission. This grant will help us cultivate a safer environment for people to get around in Miami, regardless of the transportation mode and enable us to provide critical education and resources to the Miami community.”

Friends of The Underline will work with its partners, including locally elected officials, municipalities, The Underline Neighborhood Ambassadors, and fellow nonprofits for outreach, ensuring that all community members can benefit from this program.

About Friends of The Underline: 

Our mission is to deliver and activate a 120-acre, first-class linear park, urban trail, and event space spanning 10-miles below Miami’s Metrorail that will transform regional mobility and celebrate diversity, culture and lifelong learning. Through innovative urban trails and creative programming, we are connecting people to their environment and each other to create a safe, healthy, equitable, and sustainable community. For more information, follow on Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter, or visit theunderline.org  

About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility and the Honda USA Foundation

For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive grants to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda’s mission is to create products and services that help people fulfill their life’s potential, while conducting business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Advancing its corporate social responsibility, Honda and the Honda USA Foundation support this direction through giving focused on education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety and community. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.