Bicyclists will have a chance to help future educators in high school through a new marathon scheduled next month.

The College of Education's Cycle-thon, which will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. on April 23, is a 10-mile bicycle ride through campus and around downtown to raise money and awareness for the Summer College of Opportunity Program in Education (SCOPE). The route starts and finishes at Sunset Park, 850 McKee St.

"We are really encouraging everyone to raise funds for SCOPE, and every penny raised will go directly towards this program," Alison Kilmartin, College of Education director of alumni, said.

SCOPE is an academic program that allows minority students seeking a career in education to earn college credits during the summer between their sophomore and junior years of high school, said Hector Sambolin, graduate student co-chairman for Cycle-thon.

"This is a very successful program, and a majority of the students who participate in it end up applying and getting accepted to Penn State," Sambolin said.

However, the program was reduced from a five-week program to a four-week program due to budget cuts, he said.

"We feel that the students are able to get more from a five-week program, so we are really trying to help raise more funds for the program," he said.

This is the first year that the event is being held, but the College of Education hopes to expand and host it every year, said Kathleen Maciejewski, undergraduate student co-chairwoman for Cycle-thon.

"We really want to have a strong foundation of plans put into place for the upcoming years so that this can become an annual event," she said. "We have been receiving a lot of support thus far, so anything is possible."

The co-chairs for Cycle-thon are hoping for at least 200 riders, and free T-shirts will be given out to the first 200 people that register, Kilmartin said.

"We have been going around the college and speaking at faculty meetings and trying to get people to form teams," Sambolin said. "We are hoping that this will generate competitions between the different departments and get everyone really involved in the event."

After the participants complete the route, awards will also be given out to those who helped bring in the most sponsors and helped raise the most money for SCOPE, Sambolin said.

The registration fee for an individual rider is $20; youths under 18, $10; and family teams, $50. All proceeds will be donated to SCOPE.

Registration for the first annual Cycle-thon will last until April 1. Registration and sponsorship forms are available online at www.ed.psu.edu/cyclethon.