Dime Bank Blue Crew Partners with Bikes for Kids and Mayor Ben Lathrop


Dime Bank Blue Crew recently partnered with Chuck Graeb, of Bikes for Kids, to present eight children’s bicycles to Norwich Mayor, Ben Lathrop.

For the past two years, Mayor Lathrop has presented bikes to students in the Norwich Public School system, based on scholastic achievement. Prior to the donations from Dime Bank and Bikes for Kids, Mayor Lathrop gave 14 bikes to Norwich youth on four different occasions.

“I was very pleased to receive several wonderful bicycles from Dime Bank through their partnership with Bikes for Kids,” shared Mayor Lathrop. “The bike program was developed as a tool to encourage our youth to excel in academics. The Norwich Public School System Board of Education, administration, teachers and staff have been very supportive and receptive of this program. With this most recent donation from Dime, we will be able to reward eight more deserving students.” As children achieve educational benchmarks as defined by the school system, their names are entered in a drawing to win a bike. By encouraging scholastic achievement, the Mayor’s program also helps children to maintain a positive attitude towards learning.

Jim Cronin, Dime Bank president and CEO concluded, “Mayor Lathrop’s program offered the perfect outlet for our bike donations. With the help of Chuck Graeb, we know that deserving students will be recognized for their efforts. Receiving a bike is a memory a child will have for a lifetime.” Bikes for Kids is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, giving away more than 10,000 refurbished bicycles to youth in southeastern Connecticut.