Foundation seeks $100,000 for bikes, helmets for Lawrence second graders

The Steve Tilford Foundation was seeking $100,000 to put a bicycle and helmet in the hands of every second grader at eight Title I elementary schools in Lawrence. If fully funded, the Let’s Ride program was expected to reach about 425 to 500 students, which works out to roughly $200 to $235 per child.

The schools targeted were Cordley, Hillcrest, New York, Prairie Park, Schwegler, Sunflower, Sunset Hill and Woodlawn. Lawrence Public Schools says those eight campuses receive Title I support, money meant to reinforce and supplement classroom instruction, which puts the program squarely in the part of the district where families are least likely to absorb the added cost of a new bike, a helmet and the upkeep that comes with both.

For many households, the value of the program goes beyond recreation. A bike can mean a child can get around the neighborhood more independently, join friends outside, and build a skill that stays useful for years. A helmet adds the safety piece that often keeps a bike from being just a wish-list item and makes it a practical way to move through Lawrence more safely.

The effort also carried the name of a Kansas cycling figure whose legacy still resonates in the community. Steve Tilford, inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 2000, died in a vehicle crash on Interstate 70 near the Colorado-Utah border in April 2017 at age 57. Friends and family launched the Steve Tilford Foundation in November 2020 as a 501(c)(3) private foundation to honor his life and continue his passion for cycling.

The foundation’s work has centered on youth cycling programs, youth mentorship, bike safety fairs and racing events. Foundation leaders said Tilford had spent years helping organize elementary-school bike fairs, and the new Let’s Ride effort was designed to carry that same spirit into Lawrence. For second graders at the city’s Title I schools, the campaign aimed to turn a local legend’s legacy into something immediate and usable: a bike of their own, a helmet that fits, and a little more freedom to ride.