MORGAN HILL, Calif. (BRAIN) — The Specialized Foundation has opened applications for its cycling program, Riding for Focus, for middle schools (grades 6-9) throughout the U.S. for the 2017-18 academic year. The application period is open now through March 24.
The Foundation, launched in 2015, has a goal of introducing students to cycling's positive effects on academic performance, health, and wellbeing, with a focus on students with learning differences like ADHD.
The selected schools will receive a cycling curriculum, designed to national PE standards, plus support, training, and equipment to create a lasting cycling program. Specifically, the schools will receive the Riding for Focus program curriculum, a fleet of bikes and helmets to support their PE cycling program, a starter maintenance kit, and a trip to Specialized headquarters for program curriculum training. Each school applying is asked to provide a "Program Champion" who will lead the program at their school and can sustain the program for a minimum of two years. An optional additional day will be available to join in on the Riding for Focus Research Summit hosted in cooperation with Stanford Medicine.
"In 2016, the Riding for Focus program reached 1,000 students nationwide. We are excited to scale the program even further with the goal of tripling our reach in 2017," said Ted Theocheung, the CEO of The Specialized Foundation. "By partnering with the academic research and the community to define and implement the program, we have seen tremendous enthusiasm and support of the program champions, administrators, parents and especially the students; we will be able to reach our goal to positively impact many more children's lives."
The curriculum has been built based on research done by a third-party research organization that studied the impact of cycling on middle school students.
Mike Sinyard, Specialized's founder and CEO, said, "At Specialized, we are a company of riders and have each been transformed through cycling in one way or another. The Specialized Foundation, and its Riding for Focus program, are our ways to contribute to future generations and do our part to create a healthier world for our children."
More information: specialized.com/us/en/specialized-foundation.
