Eliada Students Gear up to Attend National Minibike Event

ASHEVILLE –April 2009 – Visit Eliada’s expansive 200 acre campus any day of the week, and you’re likely to see children on minibikes zipping through green fields and wooded trails. The children are part of the National Youth Project Using Minibikes (NYPUM). Sponsored by Honda, the NYPUM program motivates children by rewarding positive choices with the opportunity to ride a mini-bike. A unique motivational tool, vocational experience, and therapeutic recreational activity, NYPUM combines the incentive of riding mini-bikes and the love of the outdoors with the support that comes from the relationships that develop among participants and with their instructors.

Founded in 1969, NYPUM presently has 46 programs nationwide; Eliada’s is one of the largest in the country. This year, for the first time, high achieving Eliada students will have the chance to participate in the national NYPUM rodeo in eastern Massachusetts. This is an exciting opportunity for these students, many of whom have never been out of the state, to show off their skills and interact with other NYPUM participants from around the country. Somewhat like the Olympics of the National NYPUM program, the NYPUM rodeo combines speed, agility, and skill trials with themed relay events to create a truly fun and memorable experience for participants.

Although the NYPUM rodeo isn’t until August, students are gearing up now. According to Laura Elliot, Eliada’s Director of Enhanced Services, “NYPUM is about building strength, confidence, and creating lifelong memories. Being a part of the NYPUM rodeo will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most of these kids. We are thrilled that they have the chance to participate, and they’re already working very hard to prepare.”

“This is about more than riding a minibike,” says Elliot. “I’ve seen children come into the program as extremely shy, unconfident, and insecure. By the end of the program, they’re able to stand in front of a group of adults they’ve never met and relate what they’ve learned. That is huge for a lot of these kids.”

NYPUM classes are also available to students in the community. Classes are extremely affordable and open to all young people. To learn more about joining a weekday afternoon or Saturday morning NYPUM class, contact Laura Elliot at 828.273.1290 or via email at enhancedservices@eliada.org.

About Eliada
Eliada is a 106 year old non-profit agency serving North Carolina’s children and families. Founded in 1903 by Dr. Lucius Compton as a home for women and children, Eliada’s full service continuum includes NAEYC accredited Child Development Services (Pre School, After School, Summer Camp, More at Four); Residential and Day Treatment for children and adolescents; In Home services; Foster Care and Therapeutic Foster Care; and Therapeutic Recreation services. The agency enters its second century with pride, committed to the fulfillment of its mission statement: Helping Children Succeed.