Countywide : For Foster Children, Bikes of Their Own

More than 130 children in Orange County foster care homes will be surprised Christmas morning with a new bicycle.

The bike giveaway is part of the county’s Operation Santa Claus program, which raises money to buy gifts for children in the county social services system.

“It’s so rewarding to see their faces light up and shine when they get a brand-spanking-new bike,” said Joanne Noyes, coordinator of Operation Santa Claus and a foster parent.

For some children, the new bicycle is the first possession they can call their own.

“I had a 7-year-old boy who arrived with all his things in a paper bag,” Noyes said. “Inside was a pair of men’s briefs, a T-shirt and a pair of socks. To get his very own bicycle was incredible to him.”

Many of the children have come from families where Christmas has been a meager event.

“To receive something like this, that is their very own, really helps build their self-esteem. In a sense it shows them that there is hope that things will get better,” Noyes said.

Many of the children in foster care come from situations where they were abused, abandoned or neglected. Whenever possible, they are returned to their families after social workers have determined that the family provides a safe and healthy environment. If they do return, the bikes go with them, Noyes said.

The bicycle recipients will also receive a bike lock and a helmet, she added.

The bicycles are purchased at a bike shop in La Mirada that has secured a substantial discount on the bikes. The program was able to purchase 140 bicycles, including 40 mountain bikes. The bikes were assembled by firefighters at county fire stations.

“What’s so great about this program is it is coordinated by volunteers and all the money is raised by donations,” said Robert A. Griffith, chief deputy director of the County Social Services Agency.