Thousands rejoice with free bicycles, toys before Christmas
An auto body shop known for fixing dents in wrecked cars and a broadcasting company known for its hip-hop music spent most of Saturday morning handing out bicycles and other free gifts to thousands of needy children in Columbus.
Chester Jackson, the owner of East Coat Body Shop, gave away 375 new or refurbished bicycles at a new 142 Brennan Road location as part of the Sixth Annual Wishing Well Foundation Bicycle Giveaway. At the Columbus Civic Center downtown, Davis Broadcasting Inc. expected to served about 2,000 children at its annual Needy Children’s Christmas Party.
“Love finds love,” Jackson said of the line that stretched along Brennan Road for the 9 a.m. event.
Jackson said the bicycles came from organizations, individuals and many people with dedicated hearts. He said the new location didn’t have an impact on people finding the shop’s location. “Anytime you trust in God, he will lead you,” Jackson said. “He will direct you. So here we are just being faithful.”
Jackson said he hoped that all the children could ride a bicycle by day’s end. “Words can not explain all of the hard work,” he said. “There is no definition on what we do. It’s from the heart.”
Janet Perry of Columbus brought her 7-year-old granddaughter to the shop for a bicycle. “I’m happy,” said Eriyel Perry who said she plans to start riding Saturday.
The grandmother said the family has known about the shop giving away bicycles, but this is the first year they have received a bicycle.
“We got here at 7:30 today,” she said. “The line was already started when we pulled in.”
Barry Alexander, a member of the Knights of Armour motorcycle club, was among the volunteers at the shop. “Our president is on the board at the East Coast Body Shop,” he said. “He gets us out to volunteer. We feel good giving back to the community. That is all we do. We do charity work.”
Shalon Chester-Trice, representing the Miss Georgia American Beauties National in Atlanta, said it was a good day to volunteer: “I told him I would commit to come out,” she said. “I said ‘now is time,’ and I did.”
With a platform to encourage young girls to mentor and volunteer, Chester-Trice looked among the crowd and said, “I think this is pretty amazing. I’m happy to be a part of it this year.”
At the Civic Center, the arena floor and tables were filled with basketballs, Barbie dolls and other toys to go along with about 200 bicycles for a raffle.
“We are trying to spread the Christmas spirit,” said Geniece Granville, vice president and general manager of Davis Broadcasting Inc. “We are trying to make sure every kid has a toy at Christmas. This is our No. 1 thing. To make sure every kid comes out of here with a Christmas toy. “
With children required to do more in school, Granville said the broadcasting company also had about 15 tablets to raffle.
“We are excited,” she said. “We are trying to grow it. We hope to serve a couple of thousand kids. There is a need. That is what we are trying to do: meet the need.”
Rosa Miles found a blessing for her 3-year-old son Austin, who has a birthday coming soon. His bicycle was stolen from the porch of the family’s home last year.
“This is an early birthday and Christmas,” she said. “He is so excited. He is very happy.”
The mother said she explained to Austin what happened to his bike. “We got him a Captain America bike,” she said. “I told him Captain America needed his bike back to catch the bad guy. I’m excited for him to have a bike this year.”
Celia Lopez brought her two sons, Jose, 11, and Sebastian, 10, to the Christmas party. “I like it,” she said of Jose’s new bike and Sebastian’s Lego game. “It is good. My kids are very happy.”
All children leaving the Civic Center also were given a free kid’s meal coupon at McDonald’s.
Granville said the event is about spreading some joy and letting people know that they aren’t alone. “They are not by themselves,” she said. “This holiday is for everybody.”
Ben Wright : 706-571-8576, @bfwright87
This story was originally published December 16, 2017 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Thousands rejoice with free bicycles, toys before Christmas."