Meet Krista Richard, Founder of Bikes and Trikes for Everyone in Moncton
What does it take to make sure every child in Moncton feels like they belong? For Krista Richard the answer is simple. You show up. Every single day.
Krista Richard is a retired educator, athlete, and one of Moncton's most extraordinary community builders. She is the founder of two remarkable programs: the Community Sports Program, which provides free after-school sports to hundreds of kids across Greater Moncton, and Bikes and Trikes for Everyone, which has put more than 1,000 bicycles into the hands of children and families who need them.
She is a 2022 recipient of the Order of Moncton, the highest honour the city can bestow, and the winner of the 2015 Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Teaching. And she will be the first to tell you she is just getting started.
How Krista Richard Built Two of Moncton's Most Beloved Community Programs
Krista grew up in Lower Lewisville, Moncton. She remembers hopping on a bike and heading to Kelly Field any day of the week to connect with friends, play ball, and just be a kid. That memory lives in her. And it drives everything she has built.
After 30 years as a physical education teacher at Forest Glen School, she retired in 2021 and immediately got back to work. She launched the Community Sports Program to give middle-school-aged kids free access to organized sports in their own neighbourhoods. Last year, 212 kids played sports through her programs. She single-handedly coached 19 basketball teams. Let that number sit for a moment.
Bikes and Trikes for Everyone started over 13 years ago with a belief so simple it almost sounds too easy: every child should have a bicycle. Parents reach out through her community Facebook page, share their child's name, age, and height, and Krista takes it from there. Free of charge. No questions asked. Over 1,000 bikes and counting.
Why Free Community Sports Programs Matter in a Growing City Like Moncton
Moncton is growing fast. New families are arriving from across Canada and around the world. Children are landing in a new city, in a new school, sometimes in a new language, trying to figure out where they fit. Sports has no language barrier. A bicycle opens up a neighbourhood. These are not small things.
Krista's programs have become a genuine lifeline for newcomers to Canada. They give children a way to connect, make friends, and feel at home in Moncton before they have the words to ask for it. The impact of that kind of belonging cannot be measured in a spreadsheet.
One of the most powerful moments in this episode is when Krista describes how Moncton responds every time she puts out the call for donations. Clothing, sneakers, non-perishable food, bicycles. The community always delivers more than she asks for. Every single time. That says something profound about the kind of city Moncton is and the kind of city it is becoming.
Inside the Meet Me in Moncton Podcast Conversation with Krista Richard
In this episode, Krista and I talk about what it actually looks like to build something meaningful from nothing. No budget. No staff. No fancy office. Just a relentless belief that kids in Moncton deserve access to sport, to movement, to the simple joy of riding a bike down the street.
We talk about what it felt like to receive the Order of Moncton. What it means to be recognized by a city you have spent your whole life serving. We talk about the teachers who shaped her, the students who stayed in touch, and the moment she knew that retirement was never going to look the way people expected.
We also talk about her vision for taking Bikes and Trikes for Everyone national. Because of course she is thinking that big. That is just who Krista Richard is.
What You Will Learn from This Moncton Podcast Episode
What it looks like to build a community program from nothing with no budget and a whole lot of conviction
Why accessible, community-rooted programs matter more than ever in a fast-growing city like Moncton
How Moncton shows up for the people who show up for it, again and again
What 30 years of teaching physical education actually teaches you about people
Why belonging, not programming, is the real product Krista is delivering
What Krista Richard Taught Me About Moncton
I walked away from this conversation with a fuller picture of what makes Moncton special. It is not the growth statistics. It is not the affordability numbers or the economic development reports. It is people like Krista Richard, who spend thirty years teaching kids to move their bodies, retire, and immediately ask: what else can I do?
Moncton keeps producing people like this. People who build things not because they have to, but because they cannot imagine not doing it. That is the city I have been lucky enough to call home for my entire career. And this podcast exists to introduce you to more of them.
If you know a child who needs a bike, or if you want to donate one, find Krista on Facebook. She will take it from there.
About Krista Richard, Founder of Bikes and Trikes for Everyone and the Community Sports Program in Moncton
Krista Richard is a retired physical education teacher and community builder in Moncton, New Brunswick. She is the founder of the Community Sports Program and Bikes and Trikes for Everyone. She is a recipient of the 2022 Order of Moncton and the 2015 Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Her programs have served hundreds of children and families across Greater Moncton with a focus on accessibility, inclusion, and belonging.
Community Sports Program on Facebook: facebook.com/CommunitySprtsProg Bikes and Trikes for Everyone on Facebook: facebook.com/bikesandtrikesforeveryone
Meet Me in Moncton is hosted by Natalie Davison, team lead at Meet Me in Moncton Real Estate and a REALTOR® with 21 years of experience. New episodes are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
