Photo: Happy kids, new bikes

Happy kids, new bikes: Children in Kugaaruk try out their new bikes on Saturday, June 9, thanks to the Polar Bike Project, which collects donated bikes from southern Canada and ships them to communities in Nunavut. The project started in June 2015 after Alison Harper and her husband Tim moved to Kugluktuk with the RCMP. Alison rode her fat-tire bike to work every day and saw that kids were fascinated by it. She also saw that many families couldn’t afford bikes and wanted to help. Her group is able to bring donated bikes north thanks to a partnership with the Canadian Coast Guard and Buffalo Airways, which cover the cost of shipping donated bikes to Nunavut communities, where local organizations help put bikes in the hands of kids. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE POLAR BIKE PROJECT/FACEBOOK)