COEUR d'ALENE - Hundreds of Kootenai County students rely on their bicycles to get safely to and from school each day.

However, the majority of those students' bikes lack the headlights, taillights, and reflectors needed to ensure the journey to school is a safe one.

Bike CDA, a newly formed nonprofit created to advocate for a bike-friendly community, is attempting to meet the safety needs of student cyclists with its "Lights for Life" program. According to John Kelly of Bike CDA, safety for cyclists is one of the top priorities for the group.

"We just had one of our first board meetings and it was pretty unanimous that we are going to dedicate a lot of our energy to safety and kids in the community," Kelly said.

As the organization was developing, Kelly said, one of its first goals was to identify the largest demographic of cyclists in Kootenai County. It took just one ride with a student on his way to Lakes Middle School to realize that students formed the biggest group.

"The first thing we noticed is that it was pitch black and it wasn't even daylight savings yet so we knew it was only going to get darker. He didn't have a taillight or a headlight or rear reflector," Kelly said. "We then go on this ride to Lakes Middle School and find that even in this time of year the bike rack was full. Not one of them had a head or a taillight."

The group explored other schools in the county and discovered that the scene at Lakes Middle School was a common one at schools throughout the county. It led the group toward what Kelly called a lofty goal - putting a headlight and taillight on every bike being ridden by a student to school.

"We want to address the safety issue and also give them some encouragement to keep pedaling away," Kelly said.

"Lights for Life" has evolved since its inception as the group became a nonprofit and gathered board members from a cross-section of the community, Kelly said. Numerous companies throughout the county have come forward to sponsor the program, which led the group to a much bigger goal.

"We're now pricing out a helmet, vest, headlight, taillight, and reflective sticker with our logo on it to give these students as a package," Kelly said.

The organization will be taking donations through Jan. 2 for the "Lights for Life" program. Kelly said the easiest way to donate is through Bike CDA's website, www.bikecda.com, or by calling (208)410-6369.

"It's just amazing how really this is a community movement," Kelly said. "It's about taking care of our community, specifically the kids in our community."