Georgia Dream Team Gets Its Wish
Colavita Foundation for Children Donates Bicycles
to Youth Cycling Program

While the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG) is still two months away, students nominated for the BRAG Dream Team can begin training this week thanks to the Colavita Foundation for Children of Linden, NJ. The Colavita Foundation, a charitable organization supported by Colavita USA, co-title sponsor of the Colavita Olive Oil/Sutter Home Winery Cycling Team that will be racing in the Tour de Georgia, will donate five Colavita Pro junior bicycles to the Dream Team, which helps disadvantaged youth from metropolitan Atlanta prepare for the annual BRAG ride.

“We are very excited to dedicate our 2006 bicycle gifting program to the BRAG Dream Team and to support the next generation of cycling enthusiasts,” says John Profaci, Vice President of the Colavita Foundation for Children. “With the top U.S. and international cyclists here to race in the Tour de Georgia, the timing is perfect.” Profaci continues, “Many pro cyclists, including members of our Colavita Olive Oil/Sutter Home Winery Cycling Team, have said that watching professional races in their hometowns inspired them to pursue the sport.”

For the BRAG Dream Team, the Colavita Foundation’s gift helps to continue the program created in 1994 to provide opportunities for middle-school youth from economically disadvantaged families to experience the adventure of long-distance cycling. “We are thrilled to receive this generous gift,” says Coach Atiba Mbiwan, who directs the Dream Team program. “Now even the youngest students selected for the Dream Team will have bikes to train on in preparation for the weeklong, 400+-mile Bicycle Ride Across Georgia in June.”

According to Profaci, the BRAG Dream Team was selected to receive the Colavita Foundation’s 2006 gift through Colavita’s efforts to develop the sport of cycling in Georgia and throughout the country. “This is our first gift outside of our home state of New Jersey and I can’t think of a more deserving organization than the Dream Team, which has helped more than 100 students discover the joys and benefits of cycling,” notes Profaci. “We’re pleased to partner with the Dream Team to help Georgia students experience the physical and emotional benefits of an active lifestyle.”

With an average of 10 students on a team each year, Coach Mbiwan and the volunteer adult mentors of the Dream Team have safely and successfully helped over 100 middle school youth complete BRAG over the past 12 years. This year, the Dream Team concept was expanded to include a bike club that meets twice a month at KIPPS WAY Academy, a charter middle school in the West End neighborhood of Atlanta. Club rides include points of interest in Atlanta, as well as local colleges and universities, where club members are encouraged to tour the campuses and visit with students and faculty.

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