College students Barbara and Bethany Kiers were in a bit of pickle after their regular summer jobs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Luckily for the two Lacombe residents, a little ingenuity and entrepreneurship has led them to developing Pedal to the Metal Day Camp — a initiative located at Henner’s Pond for kids that is starting to gain traction with local parents.
“It is for kids who want to go out biking and we thought it would be good to have a day camp that is still under the COVID-19 regulations. Kids can still get outside, have fun and do it in a safe way,” Barbara said.
After returning home from school in Walla Walla, Washington due to the pandemic, Bethany and Barbara began thinking about what it was like to be a kid in the summer and realized the opportunity was there for this camp.
“We needed a job and no one is really hiring, so we thought ‘Why don’t we just make up our own idea?’ Barbara said.
The response has been overwhelming and the sisters are excited to get going with a camp that kids can enjoy, while also maintaining social distancing — a key point for the Kiers being able to insure their camp.
“Unlike a sports camp where everyone is touching the same ball, everyone can bring their own bike and keep separate while still in a group. Insurance was excited to insure us,” Barbara said.
Fortunately for the Kiers, biking was already one of their passions and could even lead to more camps down the road.
“It is definitely something to look into for upcoming summers. It is neat to reach out to the community and get to know people,” Barbara said.
She added, We are super excited for it and really looking forward to it.”
More information on the day camp can be found at lacombebikecamp.ca.
todd.vaughan@lacombeexpress.com
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