Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Bikes Propel Young Readers to Summer Success
By Myles Barker
Published 7 years ago on
August 24, 2018

Share

When Johnny Yang found out he could earn a new bike if he became one of the top readers at the Pinedale Boys & Girls Club, he immersed himself in books.

 “When he found out that he could actually get a bike for reading, he sat down and read two books in one day.” — Carissa Molina, program assistant at Pinedale Boys & Girls Club
Carissa Molina, the club’s program assistant, said Yang, a first-grade student at Pinedale Elementary School, had a great work ethic.
“When he found out that he could actually get a bike for reading, he sat down and read two books in one day,” Molina said, adding that throughout the process Yang “learned when you actually put the effort in, you can get something good out of it.”
When Yang started reading his first book, however, he struggled and asked Molina for help.

A Determined Reader

Every day for nearly two months, Molina and Yang would read together at her desk from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Pinedale Boys & Girls Club.
Molina said Yang also enrolled in a reading program at Barnes & Noble and would practice his reading there after he left the club.
Out of all the books he read, Yang said his favorites were “The Very Busy Spider,” and “10 Little Rubber Ducks.”

Johnny Yang holds his Top Reader award
Johnny Yang was one of the top readers in the Pinedale Boys and Girls Club Books for Bikes program He earned a new bicycle for his reading achievement over the summer. (Photo: Jahz Tello/GV Wire)
Molina said Yang is thrilled about being a top reader and eager about receiving his first bike.
“Every time a boy shows up with a bike, [Yang] asks, ‘is that my bike, is that my bike?'” Molina said, adding, “I can tell he is really excited.”

Brothers Were Motivation

Yang said his biggest inspiration for wanting a bike so bad is so he can join his brothers in their daily bike rides around the neighborhood.

“Every time a boy shows up with a bike, [Yang] asks, ‘is that my bike, is that my bike?'” I can tell he is really excited.” — Carissa Molina, program assistant at Pinedale Boys & Girls Club
“I really want to go riding with my brothers around the block,” Yang said.

Summer Learning Focus

Yang is one of over 125 students who participated in Granville Homes’ 10th annual Books for Bikes summer reading program. (Granville Homes is the parent company of GW Wire.)
The program is a partnership with The Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County and is designed to keep education top of mind for children in the community during the summer months.
The Fresno-based home builder has donated 125 bicycles, helmets and locks to the top performers in the Books for Bikes program. Rubber Soul Bicycles generously donated its time to assemble all of the bikes.

Bikes Awarded in Special Ceremony

The bikes were awarded at the Zimmerman Boys & Girls Club in Southeast Fresno.
Fifth-grade student Joshua House said he couldn’t wait to take his bike out for a ride.
“The places I want to go with my bike are the places that I couldn’t go without my bike,” House said, adding that those places are his cousin’s house and to school.
Before the bikes were distributed to the kids, two officers with the Fresno Police Department conducted a demonstration on how to properly put on a helmet and answered questions on safety rules when riding a bike on the road.
The Books for Bikes summer program kicked off in June, and youth between the ages of 6 and 18 were able to sign up and participate in daily creative reading activities. The Boys & Girls Clubs identified the top readers of the program using a point system for the number of books read, chapters read, daily attendance and participation.

Education and Health Are Top Priorities

As a community partner with The Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County, Granville Homes aims to always engage youth to participate in educational and health-related activities.

“Our goal is to inspire kids to read more books because it’s a part of the education process, and we know education transforms lives.” — Darius Assemi, Granville Homes President
“Our goal is to inspire kids to read more books because it’s a part of the education process, and we know education transforms lives,” said Granville Homes President Darius Assemi.
Granville Homes has distributed nearly 3,000 bicycles to the top readers from 17 chapters of The Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County since the program started in 2009.

Beneficial To The Community

Sandra Chaney, the director of community relations, marketing and special events for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fresno County, said programs like Books for Bikes are a blessing.
“Partners like Granville Homes and other partners here in the community that are connected to our children and our future is a wonderful thing,” Chaney said.

The Pinedale Boys and Girls Club, in partnership with Granville Homes, awarded 125 bicycles, helmets and locks to young readers through its Books for Bikes program. Participants read more than 900 books over the summer. (Photo: Jahz Tello/GV Wire)
Chaney said her favorite thing about the program is how it keeps kids out of trouble and continuing their educational journey out of school.
“Kids can be out doing bad things, but they chose to be a part of something great,” Chaney said.
Now that the program is over for this year, Molina said her goal is to get students to keep on reading.
“Reading is a ‘have to’ kind of thing, it is one of those things they don’t want to do,” Molina said. “I definitely want to encourage them to read more and not make it something that has to be done just for homework.”
Before the start of this year’s program, Molina said Yang was reading at a pre-school level and is now reading at a first-grade level.
Overall, Molina said the program was a lot of fun for the kids, especially since there was a lot of competition.
“Johnny and his friend were neck and neck on which one could get to the 10 books first,” Molina said, adding that making the program competitive is what made it “a lot of fun and more interesting for them.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

DON'T MISS

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

DON'T MISS

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

DON'T MISS

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

DON'T MISS

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

DON'T MISS

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

DON'T MISS

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

DON'T MISS

Judge Partly Blocks Trump Order Seeking to Overhaul US Elections

DON'T MISS

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

UP NEXT

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

UP NEXT

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

UP NEXT

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

UP NEXT

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

UP NEXT

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

UP NEXT

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

UP NEXT

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

UP NEXT

Judge Partly Blocks Trump Order Seeking to Overhaul US Elections

UP NEXT

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

UP NEXT

US Warns States They Could Lose Transportation Funding Over Immigration, DEI Policies

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

2 hours ago

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

2 hours ago

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

3 hours ago

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

3 hours ago

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

4 hours ago

Judge Partly Blocks Trump Order Seeking to Overhaul US Elections

4 hours ago

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

5 hours ago

US Warns States They Could Lose Transportation Funding Over Immigration, DEI Policies

5 hours ago

Don’t Miss Out! Tower District’s Porchfest Festival Is Saturday

5 hours ago

Shooter in 2022 Chicago-Area Parade Massacre Sentenced to Life in Prison

5 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup says the district had an opportunity to select an experienced superintendent with a track record of suc...

28 minutes ago

28 minutes ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an 'Unleashing American Energy' event at the Department of Energy in Washington, U.S., June 29, 2017. (REUTERS File)
1 hour ago

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

2 hours ago

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

Chickens sit at a poultry farm. March 12, 2025. (REUTERS/Diego Vara/File Photo)
2 hours ago

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

2 hours ago

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

Candi, GV Wire's Adoptable Cat of the Week
3 hours ago

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

3 hours ago

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

Maxwell Barrios, 28, of Tulare, was sentenced to over four years in state prison on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, for a 2023 DUI crash that seriously injured two women, including one who required a partial arm amputation. (Tulare County DA)
4 hours ago

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend