A San Diego motorcycle club showed its softer side as members pumped air into children’s bicycle wheels instead of motorcycle tires Christmas morning.
The local chapter of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club (BFMC) gave up the holiday with their family to roll out dozens of shiny new bikes for National City children.
“Hey, we’re busy, I’m always busy, but this is fun, and these kids, you can just see it in their eyes. They really are happy to get a bicycle on Christmas morning,” said the motorcycle-enthusiast Santa Claus on scene.
Hundreds of kids anxiously waited in line for their turn to sit in Santa’s lap, get a toy and pick out their new bicycle and a helmet.
One boy Edward told NBC 7 he had his eye on a black and green one all morning.
“I wanna ride this all day,” said Edward when he got on it. “I am thankful I got blessed today by the bikers.”
It’s a blessing the club has been giving the neighborhood for decades.
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The Christmas With Kids giveaway started about 50 years ago with a man named Frank King.
“He said every child deserved at least a toy at Christmastime. And he loved children,” said his wife Charlene King.
So Frank fixed up just a few bikes a year, loaded them in a truck and gave them to underprivileged children in National City, becoming the area’s personal Santa. Before long, the BFMC joined in and kicked the project into high gear.
Though Frank died in 2008, his legacy lives on through the motorcycle club, which holds toy drives throughout the year so they can give away balls, dolls and other treats on the big day. Christmas With Kids is now a public charity, so it can accept tax-deductible donations.
“I think it’s a godly program because we never have run out of a toy for a child,” said Charlene. “If they’re in line, they get a toy.”
