St. Charles church holds "Bikes for Tikes" donation drive for needy kids

Dozens of Carpentersville kids will get the chance to choose the bikes of their dreams thanks to the efforts this weekend of volunteers and generous donors at Hosanna! Lutheran Church in St. Charles.

The church's fifth annual "Bikes for Tikes" bicycle donation drive aimed to match or even surpass last year's collection of 125 bikes to be given to families in need.

Each year children from a different school are picked as the recipients of the donated bikes. This year's school is Golfview Elementary School students in Carpentersville. After the bikes are cleaned and tuned-up, a drop off day will be organized for church volunteers and school staff members to help students and their families take their pick.

Adult bicycles also were accepted during the donation drive.

"In addition to providing exercise and family fun, the adult bikes that we receive can also help a teenager to be able to go to before or after school extracurricular school activities or to a part-time job," said volunteer Melanie Hutter of St. Charles. "Adults can use the bikes for transportation to their job or the grocery story. So it helps many people in many ways."

Max Heide of Sycamore, a member of the church for 10 years, brought the donation drive to the congregation after his daughter, Lisa Keast of Stillman Valley, started a similar program at a school she teaches at in Rockford. Heide helped her with it and thought it would be a great program to bring it to the Fox Valley.

Heide's favorite part of the program is delivering the bikes and watching the smiles on the kids' faces.

"It's incredible." he said.

If you'd like to donate a bike to "Bikes for Tikes," contact the Hosanna! Lutheran Church office at (630) 584-6434 for details.