Bikes for Tikes: “Tikers” show up in full force to build 500+ bikes for needy kids

Bikes filled up the entire upper floor of the Front Royal Moose Lodge Saturday evening as the Bikes for Tikes build night got underway. (Photo by Norma Jean Shaw.)

FRONT ROYAL—Saturday afternoon, the Front Royal Moose Lodge at 1340 John Marshall Highway was filled with close to a hundred volunteers, who all had one thing on their mind: building bikes for under-privileged children.

These cheerful folks, many of who showed up with one or more bikes they had purchased and brought along to assemble, call themselves “Tikers”, and are part of the tribe of friends and followers of Front Royal couple Shawn and Nikki Lucas, who have a pet project they call “Bikes for Tikes”.

“Tikers” are those who have supported Shawn Lucas and the Bikes for Tikes program over several years–and their numbers are growing in legion. (Photo by Norma Jean Shaw.)

Friends and volunteers from previous years, along with brand-new volunteers poured into the Moose Lodge at 4 p.m. and the fun began! The room was organized into sections, so that bikes of each size could be built in specific areas. Shawn explained to the crowd that building the same bike over and over made the who process go smoother and more quickly—and he had done this enough times to know!

Volunteers showed up with tools, some wearing festive Santa and elf hats, some carrying boxes filled with new bikes, but all of them had one thing in common: they all were grinning from ear-to-ear.

Many spoke of the memory of their first bike, of the feeling of freedom the bike imparted. Others spoke about wanting to give back to the less-fortunate after having been helped at some point in their own lives.

By the time the build was finished, 339 bikes, ranging in size from 12-inches to 26-inches, along with trikes, scooters and a few wagons. With the builds that occurred in two other locations that Shawn helped orchestrate, 501 total bikes were assembled and donated to the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots programs.

339 bikes were assembled at the Front Royal Moose lodge Saturday evening. (Photo by Roger Bianchini.)

Just four hours after it all began, the volunteers from the U. S. Marine Corps offices from Winchester, VA and Hagerstown, MD offices showed up to load the bike into trucks.

The Lucas’ said they are thrilled that every single child that requested a bike in the Warren, Rappahannock, Clarke, Frederick and Shenandoah County area, and the Martinsburg, WV area who requested a bike will receive one.

BIKES FOR TIKES HISTORY

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

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 earlier this month, and after working all day, they gathered one Tuesday evening for a bike build.

Shawn and Nikki also flew to Chicago earlier this month to hold a build night in nearby Aurora, where nearly 130 bikes were assembled!

The BIKES FOR TIKES website can be found at www.bikesfortikes.net.