• Trips for Kids Ottawa's mission is to enrich the lives of economically disadvantaged and at-risk youth through outdoor activities that help them to develop physical skills, gain environmental knowledge, form positive relationships and acquire leadership opportunities.

About Us

HISTORY

In 2007, Cat Weaver started an after-school program loaning out her helmets and bikes to kids that didn’t have their own in her Bell’s Corners neighborhood. The after-school program took off like wild fire, and within a few years Cat was running a one-person show called Mountain Biking Children and Teens, serving 30-40 kids per season. In the winter of 2010, a local news channel ran a story on the program and this brought a few people Cat’s way. They helped her complete the process to become a not-for-profit corporation named Trips For Kids Ottawa in 2010 and a charter member of Trips for Kids National in 2011. In 2014, TFKO was granted charitable status by the Canada Revenue Agency. Our charitable registration # is 858063316-RR0001

Mission Statement

Trips for Kids Ottawa’s mission is to enrich the lives of economically disadvantaged and at-risk youth through outdoor activities that help them to develop physical skills, gain environmental knowledge, form positive relationships and acquire leadership opportunities.

Statement of Membership in Trips For Kids

Trips for Kids Ottawa is a chapter of Trips for Kids, a national 501c3 nonprofit youth development and education umbrella organization based in the United States. Trips for Kids’ mission is to give every kid in every community the opportunity to know the joy of riding a bike and the freedom to explore the natural world on two wheels.

Since 1988 Trips for Kids has grown into a vast network of 75 independently managed chapters located throughout North America. Trips for Kids has enriched the lives of more than 230,000 youth through Discovery Rides, Adventure Clubs, Mobile Bike Clinics, Earn-a-Bike Workshops and Youth@Work programs that help youth to be more active, experience natural places, gain environmental and STEM-based knowledge, build confidence and develop job readiness skills.

To learn more about Trips for Kids, please visit: tripsforkids.org.

Who We Are

Trips for Kids Ottawa provides recreational and educational activities, such as mountain biking,  snow-shoeing and exploring nature. Our activities principally take place on off-road trails, providing physical challenges and opportunities to learn new skills while affording the kids an opportunity to get outside and breathe fresh air. We serve all kids between 7-17 years old that want to participate. We loan bikes and helmets to kids that do not have their own.

Current Board of Directors

TFKO is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors that sets policy, oversees financial management, and provides strategic direction to the organization and its volunteers. We are public servants, private sector employees, and private citizens who love the outdoors and want to share our passion with kids.

President: Mike Nash
Vice-President: Marc Brule
Secretary: Joanne Galloway
Treasurer: David Mirsky
Directors: David Nesbitt, Amanda Helmer