Bringing the joy of two wheels into the school

MDU Resources Foundation supported the launch of the All Kids Bike Kindergarten PE Program at Northridge Elementary School in Bismarck, North Dakota. After the launch, the employees from throughout the MDU Resources of companies who assembled the bikes got a photo with the kindergarten students, the PE teacher and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage for many kids. Unfortunately, not all kids have access to a bike, or the temptation to be in front of a screen keeps them off the bike they own. According to the Wall Street Journal, only one in four kids will ride a bike this year.

The MDU Resources Foundation partnered with All Kids Bike to bring the Learn-to-Ride program to kindergarten students at Northridge Elementary in Bismarck, North Dakota. The students will learn to ride a bike as part of their physical education curriculum.

By teaching kids to ride a bike in school, All Kids Bike is getting as many kids on bikes as possible, as early as possible. The All Kids Bike Kindergarten PE Program boasts an inclusive, proven Learn-To-Ride curriculum that offers every child the opportunity to experience the joy of two wheels.

Through the foundation’s funding, Northridge Elementary received the Learn-to-Ride curriculum, teacher training, a fleet of Strider Balance Bikes, pedal-conversion kits and helmets. All the materials will be used for upcoming kindergarten classes for the next seven to 10 years.

The All Kids Bike Kindergarten PE Program was launched at Northridge Elementary Nov. 31 with an exciting bike reveal, an introduction of the Learn-To-Ride Program to students, and a presentation with North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Cory Fong, director of MDU Resources Communications and Public Affairs. Northridge Elementary is the first site in Bismarck to offer this program.

Before the bike reveal, 10 employees with MDU Resources, MDU Construction Services Group and Montana-Dakota Utilities assembled 24 Strider bikes.

All Kids Bike is a national movement to place kindergarten PE Learn-To-Ride programs into public schools, using donations from individuals, businesses and organizations. Launched in March 2018, there are already over 700 schools across all 50 states teaching thousands of children how to ride.

 

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum checks out a Strider Balance Bike during the launch.
Employees from Montana-Dakota Utilities, MDU Construction Services Group and MDU Resources assembled 24 Strider bikes before the launch.
All 24 Strider Balance Bikes lined up, ready for the launch.

MDU Resources utility companies earn high satisfaction rankings

Three of MDU Resources’ utility companies earned high satisfaction rankings in the J.D. Power 2021 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study released Nov. 30.

Cascade Natural Gas earned the highest ranking in satisfaction among residential natural gas customers in the midsize natural gas utilities segment of the West Region, according to a national survey. Cascade earned a score of 787, highest among midsize natural gas utilities in the West Region.

Intermountain Gas Company finished third with a score of 776, and Montana-Dakota Utilities ranked sixth with a score of 752.

Cascade’s score was the fourth highest in the nation out of the 84 utility companies that were part of the study.

“Having our utility companies so high in the West Region is an incredible achievement for our employees. We have filled the top spot in 12 of the last 13 years between Cascade and Intermountain,” said Nicole Kivisto, president and CEO of the utility group. “It’s so satisfying to see the remarkable results from the hard work of our employees. They take immense pride in serving our nearly 1.2 million customers across eight states.”

The utility group combined for an average score of 772, which is the equivalent of finishing 14th among the other 81 utilities in the nationwide study. The average score for the West Region was 757.

Great Plains Natural Gas is not included in the survey results because of its relatively small size.

In its 21st year, the study surveys customer satisfaction across six factors: safety and reliability, billing and payment, corporate citizenship, price, communications, and customer care.