Bicycle Santas on a roll again after pandemic-forced hiatus
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After getting sidelined last year following the pandemic shut down the bicycle Santas are rolling back into action.
Trish Hurley and Sean Canova have been gathering bikes for families in need during Christmas for close to 15 years.
The inspiration behind their Bicycle Santa philanthropic effort is their shared joy of owning bikes as when they were kids.
“As a child, my bike got me to school and to friends,” Hurley said.
“After the whole COVID thing, the bike drive has given us the ability to forge ahead and help us get back to who we are as a community,” said Canova. “It creates action and momentum for both of us…giving a kid something they would never dream of getting.”
What began with one or two bikes from a giving tree in Canova’s Training Zone gym in Costa Mesa has grown to more than 100 bike donations each year. Their last bicycle donation of 130 bikes to FaCT (Families And Communities Together, Orange County) was in 2019.
FaCT is a public-private partnership between the Orange County Social Services Agency and Charitable Ventures. Their mission is to prevent child abuse before it occurs by providing family strengthening resources. Among their offerings are parenting classes, family support services, information and referral services, domestic violence abuse services.
The bike endeavor begins with a Walmart shopping spree where Canova and Hurley select a good portion of the bikes, helmets and locks, which are paid for through Hurley’s private charitable organization, Miles of Smiles. The remaining bikes, helmets and locks are donated by current and former clients of Canova’s gym, where they are dropped off.
There has been a lot of demand for bikes during the pandemic, so inventory levels are not high at retail outlets. Also, according to the Wall Street Journal, the cost of a bike has increased about 54% since 2019.
“It was a little more challenging this year,” said Hurley. “There was a shortage of bikes and we couldn’t be selective like in the past, so we bought whatever they had on the rack.”
Canova explained the effect the bike drive has had on his gym clients over the years. “I’m seeing people drop off bikes who haven’t been to the gym in years,” said Canova. “It’s because it was part of their lives when they were member.
“A lot of effort went into finding the bikes and now [having to spend] more than two years ago,” he continued, describing the donors as “stoked.”
Kyle Garnier, who moved to Orange to be near his business, Harry’s Marine Engine Services, has since been inconsistent with his training schedule with Canova in Costa Mesa, yet he found the time to drop off three bikes.
“One of my mechanics who had been adopted went all over town to all the bike stores that were empty before he found them in Garden Grove,” said Garnier. “He took them home and assembled them that night and brought them in the shop the next day all ready to go. I’ve never seen him so excited to get the bikes and put them together; it really hit home for him.”
FaCT’s program director, Candice Staples, said, “From our perspective…this year is even more significant because the return of the bike drive symbolizes a return to normalcy. We are thrilled to help facilitate this effort with the support of Trish, the Hurley Family, and Sean Canova and Training Zone OC.”
On Thursday 80 bikes were equally distributed between the 16 family resource centers. The representatives then loaded the bikes into trucks and vans to be transported back to their locations where adult and youth sizes are matched to recipients based on family need.
“The impact of this donation is monumental,” said Staples. “Adults and teens are able to utilize their new bikes as a mode of transportation, while youth can experience their first taste of independence on two wheels… along with the added benefit of physical fitness for all.”
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