It was while working at a bike shop in the 1980’s that Marilyn Price of Mill Valley, CA conceived of setting up a biking experience for the inner-city children she saw when volunteering at Saint Anthony’s Dining Room in San Francisco. What if she could take these kids mountain biking in the hills of Marin County, just over the Golden Gate Bridge?
And so, in 1987, Trips for Kids started with a single bike ride in the Pt. Reyes National Seashore. That day, there were six rental bikes, a bunch of inner city kids, and a dream of providing transformative cycling experiences for underserved youth—programs aimed at building self-esteem, inspiring healthy lifestyles, and instilling environmental values.
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pearheaded by Marilyn, Trips for Kids has grown to be an international 501(c)3 community service organization, with a vast network of over 80 chapters across North America, Africa, and Israel. As a visionary with keen entrepreneurial skills, Marilyn also established Trips for Kids’ first-ever bike thrift shop in 1994, a totally “green” business that still supports 50% of the Marin Chapter’s operating expenses for current Bay Area programs. Over the years, the lives of more than 230,000 youth have been enriched through Discovery Rides, Adventure Clubs, Mobile Bike Clinics, Earn-a-Bike Workshops and Youth@Work programs.
Trips for Kids has received extensive national recognition and, in 2015, Marilyn earned the prestigious CNN Heroes Award that honors everyday people for making a difference in their community. You can watch her short “CNN Hero” video here.
As a life-long environmentalist, Marilyn decided to give up her car 2½ years ago in response the climate crisis. Now 78, she still bikes every day for exercise and also gets around in general by bike, bus, or carpooling; doing her part to mitigate climate change is simply a way of life for Marilyn!