Local couple works tirelessly to ensure needy kids get Christmas bikes

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6RYAYpZpwk[/embedyt]

Bikes for Tikes is a labor of love for Shawn and Nikki Lucas 

Shawn Lucas and son, Matthew, build a bike that will be donated to an area child for Christmas.

There are movers and shakers, and then, in a class by himself, there is Front Royal resident Shawn Lucas. He is a man with a mission, and this time of year, he is mostly a blur, as he handles a task-list that would make anyone but Santa Claus take two aspirin, followed by a nap.

While others were out Thursday evening getting a jump on Black Friday shopping bargains, Lucas and his wife, Nikki Lucas, were in “Bikes for Tikes mode”, seeking deals on bikes, scooters and tricycles for less-fortunate children in the  Shenandoah Valley.

Bikes for Tikes, an effort the couple has undertaken together for the last three years—and which Shawn first began with a friend in 1999–aims to give brand new bikes to kids for Christmas. He said receiving a bike is a significant, life-savoring moment for a child, because it imparts a sense of freedom.

Some folks purchase bikes online and ship them to the Front Royal Moose prior to the Build Night.

“A bicycle is a kid’s first taste of freedom, when they hop on that bike, pedal hard and feel the wind flow through their hair,” Lucas said. “Freedom is an emotion worth dying for, whole countries are founded on it. And for a kid, a bicycle is that first taste of it.”

In addition to having demanding jobs that often require national (and sometimes international) travel, this couple firmly believes in the “it takes a village” paradigm when it comes to Bikes for Tikes.

This year, The Fresh Start Project of Front Royal has agreed to collect monetary donations for Bikes for Tikes. What that means for donors is their donation is 100-percent tax-deductible. Donors simply need to designate that their donation is for the Bikes for Tikes program. The Lucas’ work with the United States Marine Corps Toys for Tots, donating the assembled bikes and scooters to the charity for distribution.

Elbow grease by volunteers pays off with a roomful of bikes that will be delivered to children through the Toys for Tots program

That way, Nikki says, they can devote their time to fundraising, shopping for bikes, getting together on BUILD DAY, Dec. 17, at 4 p.m. at the Front Royal Moose Lodge #829, 1340 John Marshall Highway in town.

How folks can help

She says there are a number of ways to help Bikes for Tikes:

• Donations can be made online at the website www.bikesfortikes.net.
• Donations can be made to The Fresh Start Project, marked “designated for Bikes for Tikes“
• A new bike can be donated and  delivered or shipped to the Front Royal Moose Lodge.
• Volunteer as a bike-builder or helper for Dec. 17 “BUILD DAY”.
• Prepared food donations needed to feed volunteers on Dec. 17 BUILD DAY.
• See www.bikesfortikes.net to more about the program and helping.

It is clear that these two are passionate about life, about helping others, and that they know how to have some fun along the way.

Shawn said, explaining the passion he and Nikki have for Bikes for Tikes, “What we are, is real and doing a real thing for kids in our communities.  It’s not feeding the hungry, and it’s not saving lives.  Those are very worthy causes, too.

Fact is, we’re making memories that kids will remember forever, and we think that’s a very worthy cause.  Your assistance in delivering a little joy this Christmas makes all the difference!”

Regarding the passion with which some shoppers take to the stores on Black Friday, he joked, “Shoppers can wrestle for TVs all they want, but hands off our BIKES!!”

Shawn Lucas pauses at the end of a Build Night, surveying bikes that will delight children come Christmas morning

What’s next?

Looking ahead, Shawn and Nikki say they would like to make the program a 501c(3) non-profit organization.  Right now, however, they have bikes to buy and build–and they hope they can count on the kind and generous folks of the community to help.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6RYAYpZpwk[/embedyt]