Team Turning Point: Welcome


 

Team Turning Point would like to thank Jenny Jones and the Jenny's Heroes program for their generous support. The grant could not have come at a better time for the team. We are looking forward to using it to expand the team and reach more kids.

For the latest information from Jenny's Heroes, please follow the link below.

 

Jenny's Heroes


 

 

Turning Point was a program that served the needs of highly “at-risk” students. These students faced some of the most difficult challenges that you can imagine.  All of these students faced academic, behavioral, economic, or social issues. Turning Point was designed to help the students overcome these challenges and gain the skills they need to be successful.  

We started a bicycle club for Turning Point students at the start of the school year. Our goal was three-fold:

  1.  To give the students a sport that they could participate in since all were failing students and ineligible for sports under the “no pass, no play” rules. 
  2.  To meet the P.E. requirement since we were an intervention program, and our students did not normally receive an elective.
  3.  To provide students with a chance for camaraderie and shared interest while they dealt with some very intense personal issues.

The Turning Point program itself has been terminated due to a lack of funding. However, it has left a legacy. What started out as a bicycle club has grown into a race team that includes students from throughout Crane Middle School. As a coaching and administrative team, we are focused upon a 5 year plan to enable the students to have an alternative to gangs and drugs and possibly an opportunity to earn college athletic scholarships. 

We are committed to: 

  • The creation of a 5 year intensive athletic program that would give students a reason to avoid drugs, gangs, and crime.
  • Providing mentorship focused on teaching life lessons and skills.
  • Providing the opportunity for our students to possibly earn college scholarships.
  • Competing at the regional level.
  • Helping to alleviate the financial burden that would prevent these students from cycling competitively on their own.

Recently, we receive a $25,000 grant from Jenny Jones and Jenny's Heroes that has allowed us to buy quality race equipment and gear for the riders. Unfortunately, the grant does not cover any of our travel costs or registration fees for the races. When you start adding up registration fees, hotel rooms, meals, and other travel cost for at least half a dozen teenage boys and the chaperones to look after them, the costs at up quickly.

As you saw above, we are committed to helping alleviate the financial burdens that would prevent these students from cycling competitively on their own. Most of our riders could not afford to do any of this.

The kids dedicate a lot of time to the program. They train six days a week. Training started out as an hour and a half after school with the riders taking the activity buses home. Soon, they wanted to ride more, and the riders started riding to and from school in addition to the training rides. Before long, the riders wanted to go farther, and a Saturday ride, which is sometimes close to 40 miles, was added. Now that school is out, the riders train two to three hours a day sometimes heading out at 6:00 a.m. with the local bike club. These kids want to race, and they want it badly.

The riders aren't the only ones that want this program to be successful. Right now there are three teachers who volunteer their time to making these kids' dreams come true. Not only are they there for practices, but they spend countless hours researching cycling so that our riders can be the healthiest, safest, and most competitive riders they can be and taking care of other administrative matters.

We need your support to accomplish our goals. If you live in the Yuma area, we are looking for coaches, mentors, and volunteers to help with all aspects of the program. We also need parts to help maintain the Schwinn Prelude bicycles that the C team riders will be using to training.

Thank you for your interest and support.

You may contact us at:

Crane Middle School
Attention: John McBride
4450 W. 32nd Street
Yuma, AZ 85364

 



Wednesday, June 11
Team Turning Point Receives a $25,000 Grant From Jenny's Heroes

We would like to share the news about the Jenny's Heroes, but are a bit overwhelmed at the moment. For more information, check the following links.

Article in the Yuma Daily Sun

Video Interview with the Yuma Daily Sun

The $25,000 Phone Call