Members of the Richmond Area Bicycle Association (RABA) contributed $16,000 to buy 240 new bicycles and helmets for area Christmas Mother programs. This surpassed the club’s goal of $12,000 and the previous record of 200 bicycles.

RABA members with the donated bikes.

The bikes were assembled on November 2 by 75 volunteers from RABA and were distributed to the local Christmas Mothers this past Saturday (December 7). EnTrust Records Management hosted the assembly party and donated secure storage for the bicycles until they could be delivered. Volunteers loaded up trucks and trailers and delivered the bikes to Richmond, Hanover, Goochland, New Kent, Chesterfield, Powhatan, Henrico, and Charles City Counties. The Christmas Mothers will give them to needy families who have applied for help.  The club works to match appropriate bicycles to the needs of the children in the various counties.

This is the 12th year the club has held its “Bikes for Kids” drive. Originally started by Dee & Suzanne Nuckols as a way to give back to the community, Andrew Mann currently heads the effort and has been a volunteer for 9 years.

“Having lived my entire life in the greater Richmond area and having biked around these roads for over twenty years, it was very important to give back to my community,” Mann said. “When Dee stated that he was ‘retiring’ from the Bikes for Kids project I knew that I had to keep it going. With a great deal of help form RABA members, the program has continued to grow significantly.”

RABA club membership is currently over 1000 members, many of whom participate in regularly scheduled rides held on weekdays and weekends. Group cycling trips and special events, such as the RABA Tacky Light Ride, are also very popular.