Hundreds Of Bikes Given Out To Children Living In 186th District
By Dan Wing
PHILADELPHIA (CBS)--A local State Representative hosted a community gathering at Yesha Fellowship Hall in South Philadelphia Monday evening, where hundreds of bikes were given out to children living in the 186th District.
State Rep. Jordan Harris hosted the event, where more than 200-bikes supplied by Huffy were given out by Santa.
Harris says the giveaway is about more than just doing a nice deed before Christmas.
"It's about childhood, restoring the child to childhood in our communities. But also it's about making our young people more active, getting them off the couch and on to a bike."
Harris says he expects to see a spike in bike riders in his district in the near future, thanks to $10 million in funding recently secured.
"To fix a bridge that will connect South and Southwest Philadelphia through the Schuylkill River Trail. So, my theory was we can't bring that money home from Harrisburg unless we provide an opportunity for the young people in our community to take part in that."
Harris says child obesity rates across the country have been going down, but he notes that Pennsylvania is one of three states where the rate has risen.
