Marilyn Price

2006

Sports & Recreation

“Marilyn Price” and “Trips for Kids” are rarely mentioned separately. The terms are two sides of an equation. And Trips for Kids (TFK) is why Marilyn has been named to the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame.

For the past twenty years, TFK has been the focus of Marilyn’s life. She works seventy- to eighty hours a week to provide at-risk children – kids who need it most – with the opportunity to ride mountain bikes. Not only do the kids take bike trips supervised by caring adults, they also learn to fix and maintain their equipment. They can even learn bike repair and earn credits to purchase a bike for themselves. In the process they make friends, learn skills and discover that exercise is fun. Less obvious rewards are learning to set and accomplish goals, gaining respect for the environment and finding that dreams are achievable – maybe a bike ride away.

A native of St. Louis, Marilyn earned a B.A. in sociology from the University of Michigan. She moved to Marin forty years ago and has two grown children. She has experience in non-profit management, environmentalism, social work and bicycle advocacy. She worked for the Resource Renewal Institiute, developed local recycling projects, volunteered with homeless youth and worked at the first mountain bike shop in Marin.

Perseverance is one of Marilyn’s hallmarks. By persevering she was able to succeed in a male-dominated sport. “Sustained commitment is vital,” she says. “You have to set your sights and keep at it.”

Perseverance is also evident in the success of TFK. Originally a volunteer-run program run on a hope and a dream out of Marilyn’s living room, TFK now has an office, a staff of fifteen and hundreds of volunteers. So far more than 28,000 low-income, inner city, at-risk kids across the country have taken a ride with TFK.

Seeing Marilyn in action is to witness selfless giving. Though eager to get on with her “to do” list, she always has time to check in with staff and visitors to the office. She’s a big reason why Trips for Kids has caught on across the U.S.

Marilyn has awards from the Marin County Human Rights Commission, the Marin Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Girl Scouts and the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. Marilyn Price has rightly earned her place in the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame.