Bicycle donation supports school retention and boosts physical activity in Mexico
Adventist Health and World Vision International have partnered to donate and distribute bicycles to middle school and high school students in Mexico.
The project, Bicycles That Change Lives, aims to reduce school dropout rates and encourage physical activity. Students will use the bicycles for commuting to and from school and for general recreation.
In December 2021, Adventist Health facilitated the first delivery to Mexico, which included 111 bicycles. An additional 250 bicycles will be delivered in February 2022 with five more deliveries planned throughout the year.
A picture containing person, outdoor, line, crowd Description automatically generated High school students in Montemorelos, Mexico, receive bicycles as part of the Bicycles That Change Lives program
To qualify for a bicycle, students must be enrolled in the current school year, have limited resources, have no other means of transportation, have a history of good school behavior and meet a specified grade point average during the last school period. Students at Montemorelos University are managing individual distribution of the bicycles throughout the communities of Montemorelos, Ciudad de Allende and General Terán.
The Adventist Health donation includes a 26-foot cargo truck provided by Adventist Health Rideout that will facilitate distribution of the bicycles as well as medical supplies for Adventist Health clinic partners throughout Northern Mexico.
Distribution of the bicycles was launched at community events held in Montemorelos, Ciudad de Allende and General Terán. Events were attended by representatives of the health and education sectors of the Mexican state government, representatives from Montemorelos University, municipal mayors of each region, representatives from the Northern Mexico Union of Seventh-day Adventists, and John Schroer, Global Mission System Lead for Adventist Health.
Allende Mayor Patricia Salazar (center) and John Schroer (on her left) attend a community event where students bicycles.
A meeting to consolidate the social impact of the project, which includes promoting healthy communities, took place after the individual community events and was attended by Schroer, municipal presidents Daniel Sánchez of General Terán, Patricia Salazar of Allende, and Miguel Salazar of Montemorelos. Ismael Castillo, university rector, Roel Cea and Arturo King attended on behalf of Montemorelos University.
“It has been very rewarding to see these bicycles get in the hands of students who really need them,” said Schroer. “Partnering with Montemorelos University has been a win-win experience. Students at the university who are distributing the bicycles get to interact with younger students in the community and get to know them, while community members have the opportunity to explore the world of higher education at Montemorelos.
Montemorelos Mayor Miguel Salazar (shaking hands) and John Schroer (on his right) present a bicycle to a high school student from Montemorelos.
“Our goal is to build strong and healthy communities. It is very exciting for us to see the beginning of this program and look to the future to bring other programs to these communities,” said Schroer.
