St. Pat’s committee plans to buy bikes
By Bobbi Mlynar
Originally published 01:07 p.m., February 21, 2008
Updated 01:07 p.m., February 21, 2008
Some needy children in the area will receive their first bicycles this year from funds raised by the St. Patrick’s Day Committee.
Committee members have initiated a “Bikes for Kids” project to receive monies from a fundraising auction next week, as well as a Las Vegas Getaway drawing and sales from St. Patrick’s Day-themed shirts.
For the past 12 years, the committee has donated the proceeds to organizations that serve children. The David Traylor Zoo of Emporia, the Emporia Arts Council artmobile, and playground equipment for Sacred Heart School are among the entities that have benefited from the committee’s work.
For their 13th celebration, the committee is soliciting agencies that serve children to gather names of youngsters who do not have bicycles and cannot afford to buy them.
“We raise between $8,000 to $10,000 a year, and that could buy a lot of bikes,” said committee member Trey Sommers. “That might be something really, really neat for the kids, for the community.”
Another committee member, Kayla Oney, talked with Matt Brown of the High Gear bicycle shop to make arrangements for a mass purchase of bicycles at special prices, and the project was approved.
“Everybody remembers their first bike, if they were lucky enough to have one,” Oney said. “That is the real goal here, to build those positive experiences for the kids.”
Oney said that children ages 3 to 13 will be eligible for the drawing.
“We will put all the names in a hopper,” Sommers said. “We’ll pull names until we run out of names or run out of money.”
The group is working with Newman Regional Health to get helmets for each child who wins a bike.
Details about the bike project may be had by calling Oney at 340-6430.
Activities to raise the necessary funds will begin with an auction on Friday, Feb. 29, at Bruff’s Bar and Grill.
Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the auction will begin at 7 p.m., with Ron Thomas as master of ceremonies and Paul Hancock as auctioneer.
People who want to donate items to the event may call Sommers, 340-5666, or St. Patrick’s Day Committee Chairman Daryl Polzin, 343-7031.
The committee also has tickets for a Las Vegas Getaway drawing that will be held on March 15 after the group’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. The parade will begin at 1 p.m. at Fourth Avenue and Commercial Street.
Prizes will be awarded in four categories — family, organization, business and committee’s choice. Entries in the parade, and more information, may be had by calling Bev Durham, 342-2092.
The committee is asking for a $1 donation for each ticket purchased for the Getaway, which is sponsored by Steve and Linda Corbin of the Town Royal and Mike Turnbull of Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home. The prize includes two round-trip airfare tickets for two to Las Vegas, hotel accommodations, and $300 spending money. The winner of the drawing need not be present to win, Sommers said.
Others who can be contacted for drawing tickets, in addition to the Corbins and Turnbull, are: Tina Andrews, Sue Bohm, Joanne Berger, Gary Burgess Jr., Phil Castillo, Ron Gilligan, Mary Helmer, Gerald Kehres, Ranya Larson, Paul Lapping, Ginger Steiner, and Steve Sutton.