Media Alert:
10/23/2009

CONTACT:
Kelly Pack, Manager of Trail Development
202.974.5148; (cell) 304.444.2578
kellyp@railstotrails.org

MEDIA INVITE: WARD 5 D.C. YOUTH TO RECEIVE FREE BICYCLES
FOR USE ON NEW TRAIL

What: Local students from the tutoring and mentoring organization Beacon House will receive free bicycles, locks and helmets as part of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's Metropolitan Grants Program, funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation; $20,000 worth of bicycles and equipment will be given to area students. 

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is committed to providing amenities and resources to Ward 5 residents near the newly constructed Metropolitan Branch Trail. RTC hopes to encourage trail use and community ownership of the new walking and bicycling trail.

When: October 23 from 4 to 6 p.m. EST. The ceremonial check presentation will take place from 4:45 to 5 p.m.

Where: Trailside mural adjacent to Beacon House (601 Edgewood St., NE #15, Washington, D.C. 20017). An RTC staff member will be at Beacon House to direct media personnel. TV crews should bring their own power source.

Opportunities: (Visual) Students receiving bicycles and safety training; students riding bicycles along the newly constructed section of the Metropolitan Branch Trail; students with parents; check presentation ceremony. (Interview) Keith Laughlin, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy President; Rev. Donald Robinson, Beacon House Founder and President; Gerry Stevens-Kittner, Beacon House Deputy Director; Glen Harrison, WABA Safety Education Program Coordinator.

Who: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization coordinating the re-granting program, distributing funds from the Coca-Cola Foundation. Beacon House is a neighborhood-based charity that supports at-risk youth and families of the Edgewood Terrace community in Washington, D.C. Washington Area Bicyclists Association is a nonprofit promoting bicycling for fun, fitness, and affordable transportation and will be running a bicycling safety course for children at event.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a nonprofit organization with more than 100,000 members and supporters, is the nation's largest trails organization dedicated to connecting people and communities by creating a nationwide network of public trails, many from former rail lines and connecting corridors. Founded in 1986, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's national office is located in Washington, D.C., with regional offices in California, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. For more information visit www.railstotrails.org.