A message from our Founder
Pedal Forward started for me as a dream – a way to impact my community by bridging my love for cycling with my passion for philanthropy. Throughout my high school career, I have been an active volunteer with organizations like Meals by Grace, serving as President of the Alpharetta Young Men’s Service League in 2024, and have been awarded two Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Awards, my freshman (2023) and sophomore (2024) years. I am also a Junior Elite Triathlete and Captain of the Multisport Explosion High Performance Team, the nation's second-highest-ranked youth triathlon team.
Founding Pedal Forward has provided a way for me to give back to the community and allow others to experience the joy of biking that I have been so privileged to be able to experience as a triathlete. In the fall of my sophomore year, I wanted to find a way to promote health and wellness among the youth in my community. With the ever-increasing adoption of technology by younger and younger kids and a growing addiction to social media and virtual games among youth, I noticed fewer and fewer children wanting to get outside and play, an integral part of childhood. In some areas of my community, they were also unable to do so because of economic barriers.
In January of 2025, the spring of my sophomore year, REI Co-op exited its Experience business, shutting down the bike training classes it previously offered. In the past, kids would be able to register and pay for a class provided by REI to learn how to bike in a safe environment with trained professionals. Now, with the closure of such programs, there was an ever-present need for a new way for kids to learn how to ride. Another problem was that children from disadvantaged backgrounds did not have the means to pay for such classes, or could not afford a bike or helmet of their own to even learn in the first place. I founded Pedal Forward to solve both of those problems: to provide all elementary school children, regardless of their socioeconomic status, with bike riding lessons at no cost, and to donate bikes and helmets to kids unable to afford their own.
In April and May of 2025, we started off as a small volunteer organization–helping out with cycling events in the community, like bike rallies and rodeos. We eventually gained the means to run our own bike training camps starting in June of 2025, and have only grown from there. Since then, we have hosted eight bike training clinics, serving over 210 kids in the North Fulton community. We partner with Meals by Grace and North Fulton Community Charities’ food pantry to promote awareness of our program. We also engage volunteers in the community, partnering with six different National Charity League (NCL) and Young Men’s Service League (YMSL) chapters. We also now work to produce events with philanthropies like the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and municipalities such as the City of Roswell and the GA Department of Transportation, and have grown to establish chapters in Tennessee and New York, serving underserved youth nationwide.
I am lucky enough to know firsthand how impactful cycling can be – not just as a sport – but as a tool for personal growth. I hope that through these philanthropic efforts, we are able to help others develop lifelong experiences by alleviating some of the economic pressures that prevent many from enjoying such pursuits. Pedal Forward teaches more than just biking; it empowers both underprivileged youth and volunteers, and helps both build the confidence needed to thrive as active participants in society. A bike is not only a medium to stay healthy, but a form of freedom. I hope that through Pedal Forward, I can empower others to achieve that freedom, as I have.
Founding Pedal Forward has provided a way for me to give back to the community and allow others to experience the joy of biking that I have been so privileged to be able to experience as a triathlete. In the fall of my sophomore year, I wanted to find a way to promote health and wellness among the youth in my community. With the ever-increasing adoption of technology by younger and younger kids and a growing addiction to social media and virtual games among youth, I noticed fewer and fewer children wanting to get outside and play, an integral part of childhood. In some areas of my community, they were also unable to do so because of economic barriers.
In January of 2025, the spring of my sophomore year, REI Co-op exited its Experience business, shutting down the bike training classes it previously offered. In the past, kids would be able to register and pay for a class provided by REI to learn how to bike in a safe environment with trained professionals. Now, with the closure of such programs, there was an ever-present need for a new way for kids to learn how to ride. Another problem was that children from disadvantaged backgrounds did not have the means to pay for such classes, or could not afford a bike or helmet of their own to even learn in the first place. I founded Pedal Forward to solve both of those problems: to provide all elementary school children, regardless of their socioeconomic status, with bike riding lessons at no cost, and to donate bikes and helmets to kids unable to afford their own.
In April and May of 2025, we started off as a small volunteer organization–helping out with cycling events in the community, like bike rallies and rodeos. We eventually gained the means to run our own bike training camps starting in June of 2025, and have only grown from there. Since then, we have hosted eight bike training clinics, serving over 210 kids in the North Fulton community. We partner with Meals by Grace and North Fulton Community Charities’ food pantry to promote awareness of our program. We also engage volunteers in the community, partnering with six different National Charity League (NCL) and Young Men’s Service League (YMSL) chapters. We also now work to produce events with philanthropies like the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and municipalities such as the City of Roswell and the GA Department of Transportation, and have grown to establish chapters in Tennessee and New York, serving underserved youth nationwide.
I am lucky enough to know firsthand how impactful cycling can be – not just as a sport – but as a tool for personal growth. I hope that through these philanthropic efforts, we are able to help others develop lifelong experiences by alleviating some of the economic pressures that prevent many from enjoying such pursuits. Pedal Forward teaches more than just biking; it empowers both underprivileged youth and volunteers, and helps both build the confidence needed to thrive as active participants in society. A bike is not only a medium to stay healthy, but a form of freedom. I hope that through Pedal Forward, I can empower others to achieve that freedom, as I have.