Led by Physical Education Teacher, Jennifer Hamilton, Wright City East Elementary has launched a fundraiser to bring bicycles to the school through a program called All Kids Bike. 

All Kids Bike began in 2018 with one goal in mind: “to give every child in America the opportunity to learn how to ride a bike.”

“There’s nothing more of a lifetime sport than teaching a kid how to ride a bike,” Hamilton said. “Once they got it, they got it for the rest of their lives.”

Currently the school has raised $1,400 through monetary donations. Their goal is to raise $9,000. The program would include everything needed for 7-10 years, such as teacher training and certification, 24 bikes, pedal conversion kits, helmets, a teacher bike, two rolling metal bike storage racks and resources/live support from the program. 

The program is eight weeks long and the program provides all the lessons. Kids would start with strider bikes, learning how to balance and then gradually build up to adding pedals. If enough money is raised, Hamilton would teach the kids with the training provided to her. 

Hamilton found the program through a physical education Facebook group and knew right away this is something she should bring to the school.

“Teaching kids to know how to ride a bike can help the next generation to teach their kids to ride a bike,” Hamilton said. “That’s just a skill that they always have and they will always know how to exercise.” 

Once Hamilton found the program, she took it to Principal Dawn Hickman. Hickman loved the idea, kickstarting the possibility of bringing All Kids Bike to East Elementary. 

Hamilton recently shared the idea to the Wright City R-II District School Board. Board member Heidi Box Halleman loved the idea and took it to share on her Facebook.

Her post read, “This one is near and dear to Dan and I’s heart…I recently learned that so many kids in our district do not know how to ride a bike…I would love to see this need get filled quickly…”

Hamilton noted that one of the reasons why this program is important is because of the large number of kids that do not know how to ride a bike due to gravel roads and lack of access to bikes. 

She first noticed this issue when she was teaching freshmen physical education and was looking for something to do during the summer with the class besides being stuck in a gym.

Hamilton thought about taking the group fishing and having them bring in their bikes, until she realized half of them had no idea how to ride a bike.

“That was mind blowing to me,” Hamilton said. “I’m like these kids are going to be freshmen in high school, how do they not know how to ride a bike?”

Hamilton is hoping to bring All Kids Bike to the school by the spring of 2025. To donate, go to the Wright City East Elementary School store site at

campus.wrightcity.k12.mo.us/campus/store/wrightcity/school-store/10/products. 

Interested donors can also write a check to Wright City School District and send it to Jennifer Hamilton or the school’s office. It’s important to note that only money donations are being accepted. 

“Teaching them how to shoot a basketball is great until they get to middle school and decide they don’t want to play basketball anymore,” Hamilton said. “Teaching them how to ride a bike is something they can have forever.”