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Bikes for Kids hopes to get underprivileged youth in Calgary, and across the country, on two wheels

The Canadian charity plans to give 2,500 underprivileged youth across Canada bikes and more this Christmas

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For many Canadian children, bikes and youth are more or less synonymous. Looking back through childhood, some of our earliest memories involve the wind in our hair, our pedals at our feet, and that feeling of joyous empowerment that comes with our bodies being our engines, moving on two wheels.

Life without a bike is utterly unimaginable to many Canadian kids. For those less fortunate, on the other hand, the Calgary Herald writes, that’s the reality — and there are many such youth across the country.

In Calgary, Bikes for Kids, the national charity of Dominion Lending Centre, has a plan to change that for local kids.

On Dec. 8, Bikes for Kids will be hitting the streets with a holiday parade in downtown Calgary, aiming to raise the proceeds necessary to buy not just new bikes, but also new helmets and locks for city kids in need. The event will be held in conjunction with other cities across the country including Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton and Vancouver. Regina will be participating for the first time this year. The Calgary-area fundraiser will kick off at Fire Station No. 10. Organizers are hoping that, nationwide, they’ll raise as much funds as they have during the past two years. Those funds will lead to 2,500 bikes, helmets and locks for kids just in time for Christmas.

In Calgary, the event gets underway at 1909 16 Ave. N.W. on Dec. 8, beginning bright and early at 7 a.m.