Students from Prep to Year 6 at Matthew Flinders Anglican College on the Sunshine Coast were thrilled to donate more than $12,000 to World Bicycle Relief after hosting a wildly successful wheels-a-thon fundraising challenge in late 2021.
And, as an extra activity alongside the fundraiser, students and their families were invited to cycle the equivalent of the Queensland border perimeter – that’s close to 10,000 kilometres!
The Flinders Primary students designed the wheels-a-thon to help children in developing countries overcome transport as one of the biggest barriers to education.
The funds raised go directly to World Bicycle Relief who donate Buffalo Bicycles, designed for distance and durability, to children in rural areas, such as in sub-Saharan Africa where 34 million children are out of school.
Flinders Head of Primary, Mrs Trudi Edwards said the students rode their bikes and scooters around the College grounds as part of their Physical Education lessons.
“It was wonderful to see the students so engaged in our Flinders World Bicycle Relief fundraiser challenge and keen to work together to help people in need,” Trudi said.
“We had more than 560 students take part and together raise over $12,000, and the extra challenge of a virtual cycle around the Queensland border was a huge hit!” she said.
“Our students and families achieved beyond their target distance of 10,000 kilometres, which was awesome.
“Our efforts also helped us all to become healthier and to fall back in love with our bicycles and scooters for fitness and fun!”
Flinders Year 4 student Dexter was involved in the fundraiser and said, “It is important to help other people, especially people who don’t have as much as we have.
“Some people have long journeys to school and a bike can really help. Then when they get there, they still have time for learning things.”
The donation of a bicycle can help a child in a developing country to attend school regularly and complete their education, which in the long term helps prepare them for better jobs and reduces the likelihood of extreme poverty.
In the past 15 years, World Bicycle Relief has distributed more than 550,742 to children and families in need across the world.
To learn more about World Bicycle Relief, visit the website at https://worldbicyclerelief.org/
