DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings and Landmark-partner Chevrolet today surprised nearly 500 second grade students from 10 schools within the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) with brandnew bicycles, helmets, locks and bells, in conjunction with the Detroit Public Schools Foundation. The new bikes, unveiled at Little Caesars Arena, celebrate students' completion of the Road & Bicycle Safety Program.
Nearly 500 new bicycles provided to students from Detroit Public Schools
Nearly 500 second-grade students from 10 Detroit schools surprised with bikes and equipment to celebrate culmination of Road & Bicycle Safety Program in partnership with Chevrolet. Students practiced riding and learned road & bicycle safety through physical education curriculum prior to event on Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena.
Starting in April, the students practiced riding and learned vital road safety information during Physical Education classes at each DPSCD school as part of the Road & Bicycle Program in partnership with Chevrolet. In conjunction with May's "National Bike Month," participating students believed they were bussing to Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday to simply honor their completion of the educational course before the Red Wings and Chevrolet revealed each student would receive a brand-new bicycle.
"Seeing the smiles and excitement on the faces of the students when we revealed their brand-new bikes was absolutely priceless," said Chris Granger, Ilitch Holdings, Group President for Sports and Entertainment. "Today's event, together with the corresponding educational courses on bike and road safety that took place at each school, furthers our commitment to the Detroit community by providing students a means of transportation and another tool to establish an active lifestyle this summer. We look forward to continuing our work with Chevrolet and DPSCD to expand our organization's positive impact on Metro Detroit."
"GM and Chevrolet are deeply committed to investing in our hometown and it is a thrill for us to partner with the Red Wings and the Detroit Public Schools Community District on such a worthwhile effort benefitting so many students in the City of Detroit," said Paul Edwards, U.S. vice president of Chevrolet Marketing. "DPSCD is committed to the whole child approach, which unlocks students' full potential as future leaders, thinkers, and citizens. It's with partners such as the Red Wings that enables us to provide a variety of fun and exciting educational experiences, beyond the classroom, that in this case includes science, health, and safety," said Nikolai Vitti, Superintendent, DPSCD.
Alongside Granger, Vitti, Chevrolet senior manager of marketing Steve Haener, Chevrolet executive marketing and communications Afaf Farah and current Red Wings players Justin Abdelkader, Danny DeKeyser and Darren Helm, Tuesday's celebration began with a special assembly for the students and educators in the Little Caesars Arena bowl to revisit concepts learned during the Road & Bicycle Safety Program that took place at each school.
As the assembly concluded, the surprise was unveiled to the students with a video featuring the building and tagging of the bikes prior to Tuesday's event and culminating with footage of the nearly 500 bicycles arranged and waiting for the students in Chevrolet Plaza.
The students were then escorted to Chevrolet Plaza where volunteers from Olympia Entertainment, the Red Wings and Chevrolet directed them to their bikes, which were individually tagged and personalized for each student. They had the opportunity to try their new bikes on five riding courses surrounding the exterior of Little Caesars Arena before being treated to lunch, courtesy of Little Caesars and Coca-Cola.
Each bicycle features a custom Michigan license plate representing all 10 schools that participated in the Road & Bicycle Safety Program - Bunche Preparatory Academy, Cooke STEM Academy, Dossin Elementary, Gardner Elementary, Garvey Academy, Golightly Education Center, Harms Elementary, Marquette Elementary, Sampson-Webber Leadership Academy and Wayne Elementary.
In addition to the nearly 500 bicycles that were provided to students during Tuesday's celebration, a combination of 10 bikes and practice balance bikes were gifted to each school in April to assist in the Road & Bicycle Safety Program curriculum. Each school will keep the bikes to continue education in future years.
The bicycles were purchased from Meijer and built through Meijer's partnership with National Assemblers, Inc. at the DPSCD warehouse in Detroit. Volunteers from Olympia Entertainment and the Red Wings individually tagged the bikes, helmets and locks for each student. The bikes were then transported from the DPSCD warehouse to Little Caesars Arena on Monday morning by Chevrolet.
The Road & Bicycle Safety Program, in addition to STEM Day at Little Caesars Arena (which was held on Feb. 5) and an upcoming community revitalization project, serve as part of a long-term community impact investment between Chevrolet and the Red Wings within Metro Detroit.
About Chevrolet:
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
About Detroit Public Schools Community District:
Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is the state's largest public education system. It is governed by a locally-elected, seven-member board with Dr. Nikolai Vitti serving as superintendent. The District's mission is to provide every student with a beneficial and rightful educational experience, preparing students to be career and college ready, and qualified to compete in the global market. The District has 106 schools and educates 50,000 children. For more information, visit www.detroitk12.org.>
About Detroit Public Schools Foundation:
The DPS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) missioned to create and enhance educational experiences for DPSCD students. The grant-making organization also serves as fiduciary on program grants in: Literacy and Early Childhood Education, STEAM and Career Pathway programs and Experiences Beyond the Classroom.
About Detroit Red Wings Community Relations:
The Detroit Red Wings are dedicated to providing opportunities and experiences that use the power of hockey to unite metro Detroit youth, families and neighbors through compassionate, innovative engagement. Each year, the Detroit Red Wings provide significant support to hundreds of nonprofit organizations throughout Michigan, Ohio and Canada. For more information, visit www.DetroitRedWings.com/Community.
