OFF THE WIRE
10news.com
Boozfighters Motorcycle Club Spent Friday Repairing Bicycles To Give Away Christmas Morning..
Members of the San Diego chapter of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club spent Friday fixing up dozens of bicycles in Ramona.
They hope to give away 300 to 400 bikes in National City this Christmas. They plan to continue a 40-year-old tradition begun by Frank King and his wife Charlene.
"He had a kid living next door a long time ago that wasn't going to have a Christmas so he fixed a couple of old bicycles and gave them to the parents so the parents had a gift to give to the kid," said Dozer Hellemansen, who is with the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club.
From that point, the Kings' generosity just kept on growing. Last year, nearly 300 bikes were given to children in front of the Kings' house in National City. Frank passed away three years ago two days before Christmas. But even though Frank is gone, the tradition lives on thanks to volunteers such as Kenneth Perchert.
"A lot of the community… they see a bike and they don't realize what we do, you know, we go down the street. We're actually pretty damn good people," said Perchert.
Hellemansen said he has been in the bicycle business for 50 years. He is now in charge of the annual program called "Christmas With Kids." He said he loves to see the huge smiles of the children on Christmas morning.
"There's not a feeling like it," said Hellemansen. "I mean, you get down there at 5 o'clock in the morning, we start wheeling the bikes in the middle of the street and the kids are standing in line, yelling, 'I want that one… I want that one.'"
Hellemansen said he loves to see the smiles of the kids on Christmas.
"You'll see the happiest kids in the world and the happiest old farts like us," he said.
Hellemansen said Christmas with Kids is a voluntary organization and has no administrative costs. He said all funds donated go to purchase bikes, helmets and toys. For more information on how you can help, visit KingLegacy.org.
