Sydney Jennison, a PE teacher at Appleby Elementary School and member of the Marathon Teachers Association, had long wanted to teach her students to ride bikes — all she needed was bikes.
Ever resourceful, Jennison started scouring yard sales for kids' bikes, but it was slow going. Then, suddenly, a check mysteriously showed up at the school.
“My principal came to me and was like, ‘Did you apply for a grant or something? A check just appeared in my office, and it says it’s for bikes and it has your name on it.’” Jennison was stunned by the donation, and even more surprised to discover that the mysterious benefactor was Shirley Cahill, a retired physical education professor at her alma mater, SUNY Cortland.
Cahill had seen an article about Jennison’s teaching career and volunteerism in the local newspaper and was impressed by her dedication to her students. In the article, Jennison mentioned she’d like to teach kindergartners to ride bikes. “I thought, ‘Oh my goodness. I’d love to support that!’” Cahill recalled. Cahill is an avid cyclist who biked to work every day at the university for 40 years and made sure both her children grew up bicycling. “Riding bikes is kids’ first taste of independence, and it’s also a skill that lasts a lifetime,” Cahill said.
With Cahill’s generous donation, Jennison was able to purchase bikes, helmets, and curriculum materials from All Kids Bike, a kindergarten PE learn to ride program. “It actually teaches students how to ride a bike based on scientific research, plus it comes with everything students need to get started,” Jennison said.
Jennison began the program this spring “The kids love it! They get to the door, and they always ask, ‘Are we going to be riding bikes today? And when I say yes, they’re so excited!” Jennison set up bike paths around the gym with cones, and said it’s very exhilarating to see her students zooming around.
Jennison’s inspiration for the program was her grandfather, who gave her her first bike and taught her how to ride it. “He grew up as a ward of the state and he was in foster care and changed homes a lot and, for whatever reason, learning how to ride a bike was one of the most important skills he wanted his children and grandchildren to learn,” Jennison said.
Jennison is eternally grateful to Cahill for her generosity. “I owe her everything. Her gift made it possible to teach 40 kids to ride this year, and that number is just going to keep growing every year,” she said.
In June, Cahill and her son visited Jennison’s class to watch the kids in action. “Oh my God, it was so beautiful. There was such joy in their faces. I was so happy to be part of it,” Cahill said. “It’s really something for Sydney to have created something like this, something with such community value.”
Jennison said she has some funds still remaining from Cahill’s donation, and she hopes to be able to expand the program to older students and incorporate bike safety and maintenance.
“This program is going to continue for years to come,” Jennison said.