Release Number: 91/14
WAIKIKI, HONOLULU, HAWAII – Yesterday afternoon, Outrigger Resorts assembled and surprised twenty keiki with special needs with brand new STRIDER training bikes. The deserving young recipients, ages 12 and under, were selected by Keiki O Ka Aina (KOKA), a statewide non-profit serving more than 4,000 children and parents at more than 40 different sites on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and Hawaii Island.
“We were thrilled to see the children’s smiling faces when they were presented with these brand new STRIDER bikes,” said Bitsy Kelley, vice president of corporate communications at Outrigger Resorts. “With these bikes, we hope to inspire bright futures, active childhoods and healthy development. Outrigger is a proud supporter of Keiki O Ka Aina’s mission to provide local keiki with education and support for their families.”
The keiki chosen to receive brand new bicycles are children living with special needs who are part of the wide range of programs for families at Keiki O Ka Aina. Outrigger employees assembled the bikes as a team building activity during the Outrigger Hawaii and Guam Regional Conference. The STRIDER bikes are used to train children as young as 18 months to learn how to ride on two wheels. There are no training wheels or pedals, leaving more room for children to learn how to balance, lean and steer on their own.
“This is not the first time that the Outrigger Enterprises Group has stepped in to make life better for so many of the families we serve in Hawaii,” said Momi Akana, director of Keiki O Ka Aina Family Learning Centers. “In 2007, when ABC’s Extreme Makeover came to Hawaii and built our Community Learning Center, Outrigger Enterprises and their wonderful staff provided hundreds of rooms for volunteer workers from all over Hawaii that resulted in a building that is perfect for the work we do.”
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