COEUR d’ALENE — The Coeur d’Alene Police Department will continue to educate elementary students through its bike safety program after receiving a $2,500 donation from Kootenai Electric Cooperative’s Operation Round Up on Wednesday.

This year, police held bike safety rodeos at seven elementary schools, up from last year’s five bike rodeos and reached about 2,500 K-5 students.

The rodeos expanded on bicycle safety with a bicycle light demonstration as well as a discussion on the importance of locking bicycles and scooters when not in use.

“Visibility is often a problem between bicycles and motor vehicles,” read a statement from CDAPD. “Lights make bicycles visible to motorists, pedestrians and other people on bicycles, significantly reducing the risk of accidents.”

CDAPD distributed 100 bicycle light sets, or 14 light sets to each school, in addition to 48 bicycle cable locks, or six to each school, during the rodeos.

As in previous years, police presented 35 helmets donated by Kootenai Health in addition to three new bicycles per school, made possible by a donation from the Coeur d’Alene Police Foundation.

“Too many kids ride without helmets,” said Shaun Webby with Coeur d’Alene Bike Company. “We want to educate kids and show them that wearing a helmet is cool.”

KEC’s Operation Round Up is a program that raises money by “rounding up” participating customers’ electric bills to the next highest dollar. Since starting in 2002, Operation Round Up has donated over $1 million to those in need.

Crime prevention specialist Teri Heinrich said that CDAPD’s community partners, including Fred Meyer, Kootenai Health and Coeur d’Alene Bike Company, have been key to making the bike safety program a success.

“They’re so generous. They’re great community partners,” Heinrich said.