Jacobs Partners with North Florida Utilities to Improve Students’ Lives One Byte (or Bike) at a Time

Our team in Jacksonville recently teamed up with long-time clients Clay County Utility Authority (CCUA) and JEA to provide bicycles and laptop computers to students at two elementary schools in north Florida. 

In collaboration with CCUA and JEA, Jacobs donated a total of 19 bikes and four  laptops as a reward for the students’ academic achievements. The donation was part of Jacobs’ Bikes ‘n’ Bytes program, a community outreach initiative led by Jacobs employees to give back to their local community. Since Bikes ‘n’ Bytes began in 2001 to help bridge the ‘digital divide,’ nearly 700 bikes and 145 computers, laptops and tablets have been donated to deserving youth at various schools, churches, youth centers and families throughout Jacksonville and north Florida. 

While Bikes ‘n’ Bytes started as a local Jacksonville program, it’s expanded to include youth throughout north Florida, including St. Augustine, Orlando, Keystone Heights, and Gainesville, as well as military families. 

“The local Jacobs Bikes ‘n’ Bytes program has been very active over the past 23 years and has been used to donate bikes and computers to more than 800 students and families,” said Jacobs Vice President and Client Account Manager for North Florida Mike Dykes, who has been at the forefront of the program since its inception. “We’re honored to be able to partner with CCUA and JEA in donating bikes and computers to well-deserving students in our local communities.”

During the year, Jacobs employees work with local civic leaders to identify deserving recipients. Our team  also engages in fundraising efforts, conducts site visits to meet representatives from the organizations that will receive the donations and coordinates delivery of the donated items. 

In addition to the bike and computer donation at Susie Tolbert Elementary, Jacobs and JEA also collaborated on a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) education program prior to the giveaway. The event was part of an initiative aimed at educating students about local infrastructure and environmental stewardship. 

To learn more Jacobs’ commitment to STEAM education and engagement, check out https://www.jacobs.com/steam.