Ottawa has so many amazing groups supporting underserved youth, and Trips for Kids is no exception. Serving Ottawa since 2007, Trips for Kids is now a registered charity dedicated to enriching the lives of youth through outdoor recreation activities who would otherwise not have the opportunity to participate. 

Trips for Kids offers weekly after-school programs and year-round opportunities for youth. From biking along picturesque trails to gliding on ice during skating sessions, our activities foster a sense of purpose, belonging, and resilience. In 2024, the organization served 300 youth through biking and skating programs, providing equipment to ensure everyone could participate safely.

Last year, Cat Weaver, founder of Trips for Kids, was awarded the Bruce Timmermans’ Individual Cycling Award. The 2025 winners will be announced later this week, so stay tuned to find out who rolls away with this honor! In the meantime, if you are interested in learning more about Trips for Kids, or how to support it, you can find all the information on their website.

People get drawn into cycling for a variety of different reasons, be it reliability, finances, or exercise. 

For Heller Phillips Renovations, a residential renovation company specializing in older homes in the Ottawa core, the reason was predominantly environmental. But quickly after building their bike trailer (branded, and on a Wike trailer base), they realized that for day-to-day use in urban streets the bike was far more practical. 

“I can carry my tools that are smaller on a day-to-day basis, and it was good visibility for us,” says Richard Heller, one of the founders. “In fact, it has attracted a number of clients to us.”

According to Richard, car-free and car-light families (14% of households across Ottawa reported being car-free in 2022, and the percentage is highest in the downtown wards) are more likely to reach out to them after seeing the trailer. So not only are they saving time finding parking, and saving money and emissions with their lighter transportation options, they’re also bringing in business as a result!  

We’d like to thank Heller Phillips Renovations for sponsoring this year’s Let’s Bike Month! You can take a look at their work on their Instagram here.

This post was sponsored by Heller Phillips Renovations.