Youth / News for the 18-and-under crowd

City firefighter Larry Vandenberg drinks a lot of soda, but there was no way he could polish off 275 cases of Pepsi--the number needed to win a mountain bike under the soft drink company’s promotional program.

So Vandenberg, a 25-year firefighter, enlisted the help of his co-workers and friends at the station to rack up enough credits to get the bike, which they donated this week to the Boys and Girls Club of Anaheim.

“If it hadn’t been for the firefighters and my friends, I wouldn’t have been close” to collecting the needed points, Vandenberg said.

After officials at the soft drink company heard about the firefighters’ efforts, they donated an extra two bikes and an electronic basketball hoop, said Tabby Cato, Fire Department spokeswoman.

The three bikes were awarded to club members Daniel Cruz, 8, Angela Oliver, 16, and Michael Mendoza, 11, at a special ceremony Tuesday. The Anaheim Firefighters Assn. donated helmets.

Cruz, Oliver and Mendoza competed in educational and physical fitness programs to win the bikes, club officials said.

Vandenberg said that at first he started collecting the points so he could win the bike, but later decided to start the collection drive to help out the youth in the city.

“I’ve owned four or five bicycles and there are some kids who have probably never owned any,” he said.