The bike given to a JL Long student by Richardson Bike Mart after hers was stolen last month.
Everyone knows the school communities in East Dallas are tightknit, especially at J.L. Long Middle School. So when Friends for Long heard that a seventh-grader’s bike was stolen as it sat locked up on the school’s bike rack last month, they quickly jumped into action.
“She is a lower-income student who lives a ways away from the school,” says Chris Prestridge, president of the group. “Her bike was how she got to and from school. When it was stolen, she had to take public transportation, which was not a great solution for her.”
Prestridge reached out to Woody Smith, president of Richardson Bike Mart, which has a White Rock location on Garland Road. He was hopeful the business might offer a discount on a used bike for the girl. They wanted to do more.
“He was very concerned about it,” Prestridge says. “He wanted to help her out, but with more than just a bike. He also gave her a helmet and a heavy-duty lock.”
Mark Manson, general manager of Richardson Bike’s White Rock location, says the company found out the girl’s height and made sure to pick out a bike that she could grow into, a Trek 820 to be specific. He delivered it personally on Tuesday, which was a complete surprise to the girl.
“We were in the office and they sent someone to get her from class,” Manson says. “She was overwhelmed and very grateful.”
Prestridge adds, “It’s kind of hard to explain if you don’t have a middle-schooler but getting any emotion out of a seventh-grader is hard. She was so excited.”
Manson made sure to fit her new helmet and teach her about the lock. Prestridge says he was impressed by the company’s dedication to community. “They really went the extra mile, and even delivered it with a big red bow.”
As to what happened to the girl’s original bike? School surveillance cameras showed a man with a backpack rode up to the bike rack in front of the campus on a poor-quality bike. He looked over the options before cutting the lock and riding off on the girl’s bike, Prestridge says.
