53°
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7 Day Forecast
Follow our weather team on social media

Local non-profit teaches children how to fix, maintain bikes

5 years 3 months 3 weeks ago Tuesday, November 20 2018 Nov 20, 2018 November 20, 2018 7:25 PM November 20, 2018 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - A local non-profit organization is teaching children how to earn the things they want in life through a special program. "Front Yard Bikes" helps students in the program learn how to fix and maintain bicycles.

"It makes me feel happy because I can finally fix my bike," student Erick Pinto told WBRZ.

The director of the non-profit says the program takes hard work and discipline.

"They have to fix it, do the mechanics, learn the mechanics," Director Dustin Lafont said.

While fixing a bike, students can earn credits that are equivalent to money. When they've earned enough credit, participants are able to "buy" the bicycle.

"It helped me, it changed my life," student Timothy Carey said. "It's a good program to keep kids off the streets."

For Dustin Lafont, the idea came alive eight years ago when a child approached him for help, determined to fix his bike. That one child then brought his friend, and the idea snowballed. To date, the program has taken in roughly one thousand kids. 

Click here if you'd like to join, donate, or volunteer.

More News

Desktop News

Click to open Continuous News in a sidebar that updates in real-time.
Radar
7 Days