HOUSTON, MARCH 24, 2016: Pon North America, announced today a donation of 125 Gazelle bicycles to the children’s charity, CYCLE (Changing Young Children’s Lives through Education). These Gazelle bicycles will be used to fully support a summer reading initiative to promote literacy and classroom success amongst middle school and high school students, along with their parents and teachers, in the Greater Houston Area.
Through Pon North America’s donation to CYCLE and partnership with the Houston Public Library, the top 125 students who have read the most books will be awarded a new Gazelle bicycle and helmet at the end of summer. This donation enables CYCLE to help older kids that they were unable to support through their program previously. This initiative promotes students to maintain and progress their reading skills over the entire summer. Middle school and high school students can enroll in the program through their local library.
“At Pon North America, we are committed to being a good corporate partner and giving back to the communities we operate in is important to us,” said David O. Turner, President and CEO of Pon North America. “Pon Holdings is one of the largest family-owned businesses in the Netherlands, and philanthropy is an important element of the corporate culture of Pon. Our employees are given time during work hours, with full pay, to volunteer for community projects through our “Time2Help” initiative. We wanted to partner with CYCLE because of its mission to improve literacy so that students are on the path to success and they are empowered to reach their full potential. Additionally, we are proud to help promote a love for reading through this summer reading initiative.”
David Entrekin, Chairman of CYCLE, said, “CYCLE is delighted to receive the generous donation of 125 bicycles from Pon North America. These bicycles will be awarded to deserving Houston middle and high school students who successfully complete a Summer Reading program. CYCLE is completely funded by corporate and individual donations from the greater Houston area. With our bicycle programs, we encourage children to be active physically and mentally, empowering them to improve their literacy and possibly break the cycle of poverty.”
About Pon North America
Pon North America, a division of Pon Holdings B.V., operates in 20 states with more than 3,000 employees.
- Equipment Depot – The largest independent material handling and rental business in the U.S.
- W&O Supply, The Hiller Companies, Setpoint Integrated Solutions, A-T Controls, Inc., Louisiana Valve Source, Engine Monitor, Inc. – Supplier, integrator, and service provider of flow control and fire protection & safety products for the Marine and Energy industries
- Santa Cruz Bikes, Cervélo, Kalkhoff, Gazelle, and Focus – Innovative, high-quality bicycle brands
Pon Holdings is one of the largest family-owned businesses in the Netherlands with 13,000 employees spread over 450 locations in 32 countries. Remaining true to its roots, Pon employees worldwide fully embrace the principles of family as well as the pursuit of excellence.
About CYCLE
CYCLE is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization serving the needs of schoolchildren. Founded in 2004, the organization uses an innovative program to improve literacy by working directly with independent school districts in the eight-county area of Greater Houston. Under the program, students and their parents within selected Title I schools complete contracts that require the child to improve their scores in grade-level-appropriate literacy skills. CYCLE awards a new bike upon successful completion of the program. To date, CYCLE has awarded more than 150,000 new bicycles to deserving children in the Greater Houston area. To learn more, donate or get involved, please visit www.CYCLEHouston.org.
