The Geography Club is raising money to pay for a bicycle rack for a local elementary school by selling coffee, hot chocolate and
baked goods.
The club had a table set up outside of the Social and Behavioral Science Building on Wednesday. This was the club’s second fundraiser for Ogden Preparatory Academy. It is raising money for two bike racks, one for the elementary school and one for the junior high.
“I think it’s important because parents, instead of drive their kids to school, they have a healthier alternative way to transport their children to and from school,” said Hannah Rice, a member of the Geography Club and a geography major with an environmental studies emphasis.
“We’re doing like a dollar suggested donation, but if people don’t have a dollar, the change in their pocket works as well,” said Shauna Wolfgram, who is also a member of the Geography Club with an emphasis in environmental studies. Wolfgram said someone traded them an orange for some food.
Rice said the club needs to raise around $1,000 in order to buy the bike racks. The first fundraiser was earlier this semester when they raised about $160, and Rice said they will probably raise about the same amount of money the second time. The club will have a few more fundraisers in the spring, and Wolfgram said they hope to raise the money by the end of spring semester.
“It’s a way of getting kids involved in sustainable transportation,” said Heidi Hidalgo, a geography major who donated at the table.
Grounds for Coffee donated the hot chocolate and coffee for the fundraiser. There were also baked goods, such as muffins and rice crispy treats available to buy at the table.
“By proving bicycle infrastructures, it increases the likelihood of bicycle ridership and also the safety,” Rice said. “I think, in general, children want to ride their bicycles and be outside, and so we’re trying to support that and support alternative transportation for elementary school children. It really increases their overall health.”
The Geography Club will also be a part of Geography Awareness Week, which will run Nov. 11-17. The week will feature geography-themed films and a talk from two mountaineers from Ogden who climbed Mount Everest.
