When they came to America in February, just 11 bags in tow, the Belasco-Rodriguez family left a lot behind in Colombia, including 10-year-old Martena Belasco-Rodriguez’s bicycle. Thanks to a Madison nonprofit, the girl got back on two wheels Saturday.
The girl’s new-to-her bike, a purple Huffy, came courtesy of Bikes for Kids Wisconsin, a nonprofit dedicated to providing Dane County residents with access to bicycles as well as education about bike maintenance and traffic safety. Between Saturday and another upcoming event, Executive Director Kristie Goforth said, she expects to have given away 1,400 bicycles at the nonprofit’s Coyier Lane workshop.
To young Martena, the bike is a means of both entertainment and transportation, something she can decorate with tassles and a bell and take to school. To her parents, though, it’s a material representation of the sort of opportunity that brought them to America.
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“This is what makes this country great, the opportunities,” Fabaan Belasco, Martena’s dad, said. “This program is very important for the community.”
Awais Khaleel has seen this in action, as a board member with Bikes for Kids Wisconsin and as a first-generation American himself.
He recalled meeting another family — a man, his wife and their two kids — who came to a recent Bikes for Kids Wisconsin event with friends. The man told Khaleel that they’d come to America seeking “a better life for their kids,” and settled on Dane County due in large part to its many bike paths. Thanks to the nonprofit, Khaleel was able to connect the whole family with bikes.
“I see people who got here, like, a few months ago, and I see my parents in them,” Khaleel said. “They’re still trying to get, you know, the ground under their feet to solidify stability, so the fact that we were able to provide the whole family with bikes allows them to experience Madison and Dane County in the way its supposed to be experienced.”
“The first time you do the lake loop on a nice day, there’s, like a warmth that comes over you.”
Time to advance
As May flowers near and the weather warms up, Belasco-Rodriguez is excited to do some more exploring around her Cottage Grove neighborhood, getting her bearings. She’s only ridden a bicycle once, but the feeling is one she’s excited to get used to, she said Saturday.
“I’m a beginner. Now I want to practice,” she said.
Cheering her on from the sidewalks, Belasco-Rodriguez’s parents said they’re excited to see their little girl navigate the world on two wheels. Equipped with a gleaming silver helmet, the girl is ready for anything.
“She used to have a bicycle in our home country, and she always wanted to have a bicycle,” mom Macilo Rodriguez said. “It’s very important for her because she’s training to ride a bicycle.”
New beginning
So far, the family has been settling in nicely. Their Cottage Grove apartment has offered them peace and quiet while they adjust to their new lives. There are plenty of kids Martena’s age for her to play with, Belasco said, and now she’ll be able to join them on bicycle adventures.
“Wisconsin is a very good state. This is what we’re looking for,” Belasco said.
Bikes for Kids Wisconsin, formerly a chapter of the national Free Bikes 4 Kidz organization, runs events like Saturday’s by registration. Those who want to register or volunteer for upcoming events can find information at the organization’s website, bikesforkidswi.org.