Cans of collected food, or a pile of used coats certainly have their place as donations to needy families at Christmas time.
But when Lisa Anderson, one of the teachers at Gingerbread House Parent Participation Preschool, took a look at a pair of tricycles that had logged many a mile at the Lassam Road facility, she thought they could have plenty more life left in them, if given some TLC.
Allison Ridley, Gingerbread’s parent group president, said the decision to donate the pair of three-wheelers to the metal shop students at Richmond secondary was perfect.
“Lisa had heard of the work the students had done over the years, fixing the bikes in the metal shop, and thought that was the best place for them,” Ridley said. “It was also a unique way of making a donation to someone in need.”
The trikes joined a group of about 15 or so bikes the students have been working on since November, said Matt Harmeson, Richmond secondary’s technical education instructor, who took over from Fred Dietrich a couple of years ago.
“Fred taught for 40 years and the focus was mainly work on the bikes that would be donated to families that needed them,” Harmeson said. “Our focus has changed somewhat, but we still work on a smaller number of bikes ...and we get them all fixed up and then give them away.”
Bikes in need of repair show up at the school on a regular basis, many beyond redemption.
One of the students working on the project, Grade 10’s Paula Javier, said she likes the fact the bikes and trikes will enjoy a second life with children who would normally miss out this Christmas. “It gives you a really good feeling working on them knowing someone else will enjoy it when they are done,” said Javier.
