A group of JEA volunteers from the Northside Generating Station has come together to assemble and inspect over 100 donated bicycles at the Salvation Army Angel Tree. The group, known as the “Bike Brigade,” has been assembling bikes in Jacksonville since 2018 to make sure kids have a safe first ride on Christmas morning.
“I still remember when I first got my bike as a kid. Every time I put one of these together, I get a little of that feeling back. And what could be better than that?” says Michael Hinson, a project cost specialist at JEA who has led the “Bike Brigade” for the past seven years.
JEA says the group noticed that a lot of new bikes that were donated weren’t completely assembled, had missing parts, or had flat tires. Since then, the Bike Brigade has built hundreds of bikes every year for the holiday season. JEA adds that more than 80 employees will be volunteering more than 320 hours at the Salvation Army Angel Tree through December 17.
The Salvation Army says its Angel Tree program helps provide Christmas gifts to hundreds of thousands of children across the country.
You can learn more about the Salvation Army’s Brighten the Holidays event on the Salvation Army website…