Neighborhood House kids were among 50 local students who kicked off the summer at a special Build-a-Bike event. Wrenches in hand, they adjusted handle bars, put on pedals, and set seats at the right level with a little help from Johnson Controls and volunteers from the Optima Batteries Ultimate Street Car Invitational. It was a day to make new friends, try out new skills, and ultimately take home a new bike.

Build-a-Bike  is a program that provides free bicycles to children across the US and Canada. The event is sponsored by Optima Batteries’ ChumpCar World Series in partnership with Optima Batteries, Johnson Controls, Inc., Golden State Foods, Inc. and the GSF Foundation.

Kids buddy-up with volunteers from Optima Batteries Street Car Invitational, all race enthusiasts who were in town with their race cars and trucks. They shared their passion for working on wheels by helping young people get to know the nuts and bolts of bikes. The one-on-one interactions and friendships that form are the heart of the event; one volunteer said that she and her husband loved doing this because their children are older and they don’t often get to be in the company of such enthusiastic youngsters.

NH board member Mark Katz, who invited the kids to participate, was excited to see them having so much fun.

Each child received a bike, helmet and lock.