Teen Triathlete Raises $30,000 to Give Bikes and Riding Lessons to Kids Who Need Them

When a local REI closed its free community bike-riding workshop in Alpharetta, Georgia, most people shrugged and moved on. Jonathan Thai, 17, went the other direction. He founded the Pedal Forward Foundation, and the results since then speak for themselves: $30,000 raised, 400 donated bicycles secured, and 500 helmets distributed to families who need them.

The core of the mission is the free bike clinics. Over a dozen have been hosted so far, each teaching 30 to 45 children the skills most of us take for granted: balance, braking, maneuvering, and riding safely in traffic. Thai, a high school triathlete, was inspired by more than sport. His parents grew up in rural post-war Vietnam, and he understands that a bike is often the difference between getting to school, work, or the grocery store and having no way to get there at all. Support has come from the National Charity League, the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the Georgia Department of Transportation, and the City of Roswell. Chapters have now expanded to New York and Tennessee, with a humanitarian cycling trip to Vietnam planned for next year. Points of Light has also honored Thai with an award for his work.

What started as one teenager’s response to a closed workshop has become a growing national effort, and it’s proof that youth leadership is not some abstract idea. It’s a kid with a plan, a bike pump, and a whole lot of follow-through. Got a young person in your life who’s passionate about something? This is your sign to take them seriously.

Have you ever seen a local program shut down and wished someone would step in? Tell us in the comments.