The Guelph Police Earn a Bike program, sponsored by Tim Horton’s, has come to end after 13 continuous years.
Police spokesperson Const. Mike Gatto said Monday that Tim Horton’s decided the program was one that it was no longer willing to support.
“It’s a loss for the community, but 13 years of support on this is pretty great for Tim Horton’s to have done,” Gatto said.
Through the program, Guelph Police personnel volunteered their time to coordinate and supervise young people in a host of community projects, from picking up garbage in Riverside Park after Canada Day celebrations, to painting over graffiti and washing police and fire vehicles. The program was started by Sgt. Ron Lord in 2002.
Kids dedicated 30 hours of their time to helping out on projects, after which they earned a mountain bike, helmet and lock, all supplied by local Tim Hortons shop owners.
The Guelph Fire Department and the Guelph Humane Society also got on board in recent times, welcoming kids to volunteer at their locations. Guelph Transit offered free transportation to the kids, and a number of local bike shops also supported the program, helping out by assembling the bikes. Anywhere from 15 to 25 children participated each year.
“I guess Tim Hortons is moving in other directions,” Gatto said. “It is disappointing, because the community really enjoyed it. There were always a lot of kids that wanted to be involved.”
