OROVILLE — “They drew my name!”
Promise Fox, a 9-year-old Oroville resident, was understandably excited Saturday morning. While most kids have to wait until Christmas (or at least Christmas Eve) to receive any gifts during the holiday season, Promise and the several dozen other youths who gathered at the Southside Community Center had no such wait time placed on them.
That’s because the center and its sponsoring organization, the Oroville Southside Community Improvement Association, were giving away bicycles Saturday — one for each child who showed up. Promise was one of the day’s first recipients.
“They drew my name!” she exclaimed as Mike Smith and Ron Brown, members of the Kings of Cali motorcycle club, stood by, smiling, as Promise selected her bike. The Stanford Avenue School student said she didn’t come to the event expecting to get a pair of wheels.
“Now I’m going to ride with my friends,” she said as she rolled the bicycle outside to her family’s car.
Best of all, there was no charge for the bicycle, nor for the generous portions of spaghetti, garlic bread and salad attendees were able to enjoy.
“This is the most exciting time of year,” said Kevin Thompson, an Oroville pastor and the Oroville Southside Community Improvement Association’s executive director. He gestured at the throng inside the center’s shiny auditorium.
“We have two priorities today: the first, community, and the second, seeing kids ride out of here on bicycles,” he said. “You can see how the community has coagulated and has made this possible. This was made possible all by volunteers and well-wishers.”
Numerous donors purchased bicycles for giveaway, and the gleaming two-wheelers were lined up along walls at the end of the great room, waiting for their new owners to take them away. Because the number of bikes appeared to exceed the number of youthful attendees, Thompson said he expected that each of the children would get one.
“It’s not guaranteed, but we’ll take a final count, and those who don’t receive bicycles will receive something else,” he said.
Spreading cheer
Representatives from the Oroville Police Department were also present for the festivities, as were county officials including District Attorney Mike Ramsey and Supervisor Bill Connelly of District 1. The California Highway Patrol was scheduled to deliver gifts to the center at some point between today and Tuesday.
Even the Grinch was in attendance and appeared to be popular, as children and grownups posed with the green fellow for pictures. Offsetting his presence was Santa Claus, who appeared during the bicycle giveaway.
One of the larger donors was Gold Country Casino, according to Brandy Wilks, who works for the OSCIA.
“They said, ‘This is our community and these are our people,'” Wilks recalled officials from the Tyme Maidu Tribe — owners of Gold Country Casino — telling her at the time of their donation.
Wilks also cited Jon Boucher, “a one-man show” who owns All-American Welding of Oroville, as donating several bicycles.
One of the event’s bicycles ended up in the possession of Keyondre Jones, a 7-year-old Stanford Avenue School student. It was his first bicycle.
“I’m ready to ride it,” he said, as he admired the shiny finish and clean tires. “We just moved into a new house, and I have a yard where I can ride it.”
