Ten-year-old Wolf Karl eyed the lines of bikes neatly arranged on the lawn of the Goleta Boys & Girls Clubhouse on Saturday afternoon, trying to figure out which one she would call her own.
Karl was one of the 70 kids who took home a free bike and helmet courtesy of the nonprofit United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County and its Bike4Kids campaign. The club, which operates nationally, serves young children, with a focus on those in need.
She ended up choosing a bright orange bike, a pink helmet and Sanrio character stickers to decorate it with.
“I am really excited because I haven’t had a bike in a while,” she said.
She told Noozhawk she will probably ride her new bike every day.
The campaign, which launched in 2025, fundraises money through cyclist pledges. The cyclists promise to ride a certain number of miles, with monetary donors supporting them along the way.
While the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa of Barbara County has five main clubs and four satellite-school-based afterschool operations across the county, families and staff gathered at the Goleta location at 5701 Hollister Ave. to celebrate the 2025 campaign.
The primary fundraiser for the campaign has been local resident and avid cyclist Kirk Greene, according to Taylor Swan, chief development officer of United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County.
“He is magic, and he really carried it on his back,” Swan said.
For the 2025 campaign, he biked over 6,200 miles, raising close to $17,000 to support the cause. The campaign as a whole brought in nearly $20,000.
“I can say I have probably ridden every street in the greater Santa Barbara area,” Greene said.
He also said he has been a fan of the nonprofit since the COVID-19 pandemic, when he found out the local Boys & Girls Clubs were feeding kids breakfast and lunch while they were learning remotely.
He said after he raised the money, he thought the nonprofit would decide where to spend it.
It wasn’t until Swan asked him what he wanted to do with the money that he thought of sharing his love for cycling with the community.
He also said he is extremely grateful to his 80 donors who supported his cycling journey.
The Boys & Girls Clubs directors at the various locations across the county were responsible for identifying the families who would receive the bikes.
“Our staff knows our families so well and each director of each unit was empowered to go to the families and have relational conversations to figure out who is the most at need,” Swan said.
Greene encouraged the kids on Saturday to put down their smartphones or video games and take advantage of their new wheels.
“You live in the nicest place in the world so get out and enjoy your bike,” he said.
Greene and Swan hope the Bike4Kids campaign, which has now kicked off for 2026, will continue to grow and see more cyclists join.
“I’m hoping that watching the kids get new bikes and helmets will inspire more cyclists in Santa Barbara County to get involved with Bike4Kids — it’s easy,” Greene said.