Herman "Winks" Gundlach Read to Ride is an annual literacy program for children ages 6-14. The program encourages youth to read during the summer and awards (through drawing their names from a "hat") twenty readers with a new quality mountain bike and helmet.
Background
Herman "Winks" Gundlach Read to Ride began in the "Copper Country" in 2001 after Good Will Farm board member Herman "Winks" Gundlach learned from his daughter Martha Gundlach about a Read to Ride program in Vermont. The concept seemed perfect for providing an incentive (winning a bike!) for a positive and enriching activity (reading!). The Copper Country Intermediate School District jumped aboard and provides posters, registration and outreach to schools and libraries. The Daily Mining Gazette joined in and spreads the word through generous and numerous ads, and the Houghton Rotary chips in significant funds. Many other organizations and individuals donate funds for the twenty bikes and helmets given away each year. Five regional bike shops also participate by providing the quality bikes at or slightly above costs.
The program has had detractors who argue that we shouldn't "bribe" young people to read. But the letters from kids and parents, the excitement of a young person getting a new bike, and the great number of books that are read each summer convince us that a little incentive can go a long way!