Bikes for Tikes: Be a ‘Tiker’!

 Front Royal Couple working hard to gift under-privileged kids with bikes

Bikes for Tikes is an effort founded by Front Royal’s Shawn Lucas to gift needy kids with bikes for Christmas.

CHICAGO, IL–Though Front Royal couple Shawn and Nikki Lucas, both IT professionals who travel all over the world to visit their clients, are busy with work these days, they also build time into their schedule to allow for their passion:BIKES FOR TIKES.

Their effort, which Shawn first began in 1999 with Manassas friend, Frank Falgiano, raises money to buy and build bikes that are then donated to the United States Marine Corp’s Toys for Tots program.  After a November article in the Royal Examiner, Shawn and Nikki began sharing the article on their Facebook pages and through other social media.  They are also using the hashtags #Tikers, #ShareKindness and #BikesforTikes to help spread the word about the project.

They both say that the interest in BIKES FOR TIKES exploded after that, and for the first time ever this year, they have seen folks in other states, such as Massachusetts, New York, Florida Illinois and California so far,  buy and donate bikes to their local Toys for Tots campaigns.

Employees at Ruckus Wireless, Inc. in  San Jose, CA. donated 25 bikes this week, and after working all day, they gathered Tuesday evening for a bike build.

Thursday, Shawn and Nikki are flying to Chicago to hold a build night in nearby Aurora, where nearly 130 bikes are waiting to be assembled!

It’s hard to say how many children will benefit from the work of this selfless, hard-working Front Royal couple and their friends, who call themselves ‘Tikers’. They will be busy on Dec. 17, when the local Build Day gets underway at 4 p.m. at the Front Royal Moose Lodge at 1340 John Marshall Highway in Front Royal. To donate to BIKES FOR TIKES or learn how you can become a Tiker, check out the website at www.bikesfortikes.net.

To hear an interview with Norma Jean Shaw and Shawn Lucas, click on the link below: