Wishing Well Foundation gets set for bike giveaway at new location

Chester Jackson, the body shop owner who gives away bikes for Christmas, will continue the tradition this year with the Sixth Annual Bicycle Giveaway.

The event, sponsored by the Wishing Well Foundation and Today’s Youth in a Challenging Tomorrow Inc., will be held 9 a.m. Saturday at Jackson’s new East Coast Body Shop, 142 Brennan Road.

“We want to be sure that the community is aware that this year’s giveaway will be at a different location than previous years,” organizers wrote in a news release. “... Something new this year, we are asking all of the families to bring a non-perishable item in exchange for a bike. These items will be donated to the local food bank; we want to teach our youth the importance of giving.”

Jackson said he decided to add food donations to “teach our children that to give back is a valuable lesson that they will carry on into adulthood. Helping others is what God intended us to do.”

In 2015, producers of NBC’s “Today” show came to Columbus to spotlight Jackson and his bike giveaway program. Jeff Rossen, an investigative reporter for the show’s Rossen Reports segment, said producers decided to feature Jackson’s story after learning that people had been stealing some of the bikes from his shop during the summer. Though his security camera captured photos of the young thieves, Jackson said at the time that he wouldn’t press charges if they came forward.

This year, Jackson hopes to give away more than 1,000 bicycles, and he will accept donations until 5 p.m. Friday. The Optimist Club already has donated money for 100 more new bikes, according to the release.

To donate, call Jackson at 706-685-0823 or go to http://www.tyctfoundation.com for more information.

This story was originally published December 13, 2017 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Wishing Well Foundation gets set for bike giveaway at new location."