ST. GEORGE — Squeals of delight rang across the parking lot as children rode their new Strider bikes at one of the Dove Center’s transitional homes.

On Friday morning, Kelli Prince, president of the Southern Utah Bicycle Alliance, presented 10 donated Strider bikes to Jillian Penhale, executive director of the Dove Center. The donated bikes are worth $1,500.

“Our goal is to get kids on bikes and get them outside and help them with their physical, mental and social health, but also helping the kids that are a part of the Dove Center,” Prince said.

She added that these donations are meant to help these kids feel a greater sense of belonging.

“We would love for them to have normalcy and feel like they can belong in a society where they aren’t sure how they fit — when they don’t have the means that everybody else seems to have,” she said. “The Dove Center has done a great job with this transitional housing.”

Prince added that she loves the idea of active transportation helping people with less means because it’s a more accessible, less costly way to live. 

Katie Roark, communications manager for the Dove Center, told St. George News that since Strider bikes don’t have pedals, they help children develop better coordination.

“These bikes teach them basic balance and a lot of basic motor skills, which helps them develop and become not as clumsy of a kid,” Roark said. “It’ll be easy for them just to hop on a bike, be able to pedal and get going.”

Roark said these bikes also play a crucial role in helping these kids, who have endured unique experiences from their peers and have come from “basically nothing,” establish a sense of stability and encourage them to get outside and be active.

“We want them to be outside,” she said. “It helps with their social and physical health and sense of community.”

The donated bikes totaled some $1,500 worth of donations. Along with the alliance, the purchase of the bikes was also made possible through donations from the Burgess family and Healthy Dixie, she added.

The Dove Center strives to empower those impacted by domestic abuse and sexual violence. Dove Center services include:

• Providing safe shelter and trauma-informed services in order to facilitate safety, healing and assault recovery;
• Engaging children and youth to understand safe, healthy relationships and mutual respect to break cycles of violence in families and in the community;
• Relentlessly pursuing community education to increase bystander awareness and shift cultural norms.

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