Wheels of Change: AdventHealth supports program to boost Volusia students’ success with free bikes

Volusia County students are pedaling their way to success thanks to a unique attendance initiative supported by AdventHealth. This innovative program, launched in partnership with Volusia County Schools, provides free bicycles to students who live within two miles of a school and are classified as chronically missing from school.

The pilot program, which recently distributed the first of 168 free bikes donated by AdventHealth to students who have been identified as at risk of becoming chronically absent or missing 18 or more days of school, is part of Volusia County Schools’ ongoing efforts to reduce student absenteeism by 10% this school year.

“We hope these bikes help remove some of the barriers that students have in being able to come to the classroom every single day, where they can learn, grow and pursue their academic dreams,” said David Weis, president and CEO of AdventHealth for the region covering East Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns counties. “We're excited to see what impact this can have to help our schools to move the needle around chronic absenteeism and is another example of the meaningful ways our partnership with the school district is making a difference for young people in Volusia County."

In addition to the free bike program, AdventHealth is helping to support another area of need for local students – improvement in third grade reading scores – with the donation of book vending machines at Discovery Elementary in Deltona and Blue Lake Elementary in DeLand. These machines allow students to earn tokens to select books they can keep forever and cherish.

Beyond supporting early childhood education, as the Official Healthcare Champion for Volusia County Schools, AdventHealth has provided over 4,000 free sports physicals to area students since 2018.

In 2024 alone, AdventHealth performed more than 1,100 free sports physicals for Volusia County Schools students, and of those who elected to receive a free cardiac screening, four needed immediate follow-up care, potentially saving lives.