Bikes and Boys LOCAL KIDS RAMP UP CHARITABLE EFFORT FOR SECOND YEAR
BY RACHEL MATUSKEY
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EAST SACRAMENTO LIFE
n 2014, six local boys raised money to purchase bikes for kids who didn’t have them. Their goal: to raise $350 and donate three bikes. The effort, which started with a bake sale during the Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour, ultimately generated $2,025 and resulted in the donation of 15 bikes to Sacramento County Child Protective Services and Sacramento Children’s Home. “It was reported to us that the two bikes we donated to the Children’s Home last year allowed both boys to obtain jobs,” said proud mom Mary Kelly, whose son Owen helped spearhead the effort, called Boys 4 Bikes. Kelly remarked on how fulfilling it was to see the boys band together. “An amazing side effect of this project was that six 9-year-old boys worked to better the lives of others,” said Kelly. This past December, the boys set a goal of $2,500 and again surpassed it, raising $3,084 in three weeks. The boys earned $1,300 from a bake sale and received a $500 donation from East Sac Hardware. The rest of the funds were donated by community
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The youngsters behind Boys 4 Bikes: Finn McGrath, Antonio Kufasimes, Winston Holtkamp, Rowan Diepenbrock, Owen Wilber and Riley Domine
members through the donation site redbasket.com. The money went to purchase new and refurbished bikes helmets, and bike locks. For the second year, the boys partnered with Jeff Dzurinko, owner of Sutterville Bicycle Company in Curtis Park. Dzurinko spent many hours assembling and tuning up bikes and sold the boys a number of bikes at cost. The boys’ goal was to help children who were affected by last fall’s fires in Northern California. They contacted fire relief representatives in Middletown and Cobb Mountain who gave them the names of children ages 7 to 17 whose homes were destroyed by fire. On Dec. 19, using a van on loan from real estate agent Rich Cazneaux, the group traveled to Middletown to deliver 28 bikes to families affected
Nicole Heggen with Jeff Dzurinko, owner of Sutterville Bicycle Company in Curtis Park
by the Valley Fire. The following day, the boys met with representatives from Stanford Youth Solutions to
donate 13 new bikes. (They purchased 11 of the bikes; City Bicycle Company donated two.) These bikes will be