Dublin Rotary Club Assembles, Distributes 50 Bikes To Children In Need

DUBLIN, CA - For Ed Raney, the Christmas spirit is epitomized by seeing the look on a kid’s face as they receive a new bike.

“Some kids get the biggest smile on their face, like you’ve made their Christmas, and other kids, they look like they’re in shock,” said Raney, a member of the Rotary Club of Dublin. “It’s just so fun to see the reactions of the kids, and it makes you feel like you’ve done something good.”

The Rotary Club recently built and distributed 50 kids’ bikes to elementary school students, something it’s done each holiday season for about a decade. The club partners with the Dublin Unified School District to identify young students in need, and then surprises them with shiny new bikes and helmets.

The project started when a former Dublin rotarian heard about the project from a rotary club in Southern California, and thought he would bring it up north. Now, the group raises about $4,300 each year to buy 24-inch bikes and accompanying helmets.

On Dec. 8, crews of rotarians joined students from Fallon Middle School and even a few Dublin police officers to assemble bicycles, and then stuck around to see the children receive them. A shop teacher from Del Valle Continuation High School in Livermore runs quality control of each bike. About two hours later, the families arrive.

Raney said the process is always rewarding. “It’s a feel-good project,” he said. “You feel like you did something that mattered.”

The bikes are just one of the Rotary Club of Dublin’s many projects. They’ve contributed $2,000 in Target and Safeway gift cards for Camp Parks families; $3,000 in gift cards for DUSD families in need; $1,500 to Goodness Village, a tiny homes community in Livermore; $1,500 to Valor Crossing, an affordable housing development in Dublin; collected warm clothing for the homeless, and many other projects throughout the year.