Tupelo cycling group donates 50 bikes to Salvation Army Angel Tree program
Dec. 11—TUPELO — One of the most requested items in the Salvation Army Angel Tree program is a bicycle, and the Tupelo Cycling and Multi-Sport Club is doing its part to fill that need.
On Monday, the group donated 50 bikes to the annual gift-giving program, with Core Cycle and Outdoor and Trails and Treads helping to order, assemble and store the two-wheel rides for the Salvation Army to pick up.
"This past year, Drew Ballard and his wife, Courtney, took the reins and revamped the club ... they had a lot of energy to revitalize the club," said Claude Clayton, owner and manager of Core Cycle and Outdoor. "They raised a lot of money this year through dues and sponsorships. They supported some things through the year, but there wasn't really any one thing that jumped out that everybody got real excited about doing."
But then the idea developed about donating bikes to the Salvation Army. That's when the wheels of excitement really started turning. The initial goal was to donate 10 bikes to the Angel Tree program.
Clayton said the idea sparked the passions of some club members, and it grew from there.
"Then ... it was, 'Let's see how many can we do,' and it grew to 20 bikes," Clayton said.
The club used some of its money to purchase the bicycles, and some individual members also donated more money, and the number of bikes grew to 50.
The bicycles were sent over to the Tupelo Furniture Market's Building V, where the Salvation Army is matching up the bike requests with the bicycles that are available. Salvation Army Captain LeAnna Marion said the Tupelo Cycling and Multi-Sport Club donation was very much appreciated.
"I've been in other locations for the Salvation Army, and we didn't have room like we have here to even accept bikes for Christmas," she said. "And the bikes traditionally are one of the most requested gifts for kids. It's the middle of winter, it's cold, but they're thinking about summer when they can ride around. It's really great to get the donations so those kids can get that big gift under the tree."
The Salvation Army has more than 880 Angels this year, and more than 140 Angels still remain to be picked up," Marion said. The deadline is Wednesday, and more bikes will be needed. Some 250 kids on the Salvation Army Angel Tree have requested bikes this year.
Like any good Christmas tradition, Clayton said the club plans to build on what it did this year and donate even more next year and beyond. The club is aiming to donate 200 bicycles next year.
"We've put a dent in it and would love to be able to do more to meet that need in the future," Clayton said. "We have a lot of excitement in the club about this one. I hope we'll be able to move throughout the year to see how much money we can raise to contribute to this."
