NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— A New Orleans man is fed up with all the bikes getting stolen recently in our city, so he’s turning the negative into a positive this Christmas through the gift of giving.
WGNO’s Kenny Lopez has this story that is a reminder of when something is taken away, it can come back in unexpected ways.
Avid bike rider Dean Checkai had his beloved bike stolen, which is something so violating for any bike rider, but Dean wants to turn it around and that’s where this story begins at Bokah Bikes.
“He found this bike on the side of the road and he brought it in for us to fix up because he was going to give it away to one of his friends,” Andy Trombatore at Bokah Bikes said.
That’s when Checkai surprised his friend Reporter Kenny Lopez at WGNO with the repaired bike. Lopez’s bike had been stolen in September of this year. Bokah Bikes repaired the bike Dean found, that bike was destined to be in a landfill, but now it is back on the streets.
“I was like o.k., cool that’s pretty nice of you to give it away to your friend. I thought it was really kind actually,” Trombatore said.
But Dean’s generosity and mission to put more bikes on the streets didn’t stop there. He teamed up with WGNO to find a kid in need to give a brand new bike to. That bike was for 9-year old Tyrone Toliver who isn’t too excited about Christmas.
“It is alright, but sometimes I just don’t get what I want,” Toliver said.
Tyrone never expected this! His family is part of the non-profit organization, Boys Town Louisiana who felt Tyrone could appreciate a Christmas surprise.
WGNO surprised Tyrone with the new bike.
“I like the features on it. I like the red. I feel good,” he said. Tyrone’s last bike broke, so he hadn’t been able to ride a bike in awhile.
“He looked within himself to help some of the things that are going on in the community,” Rashain Carriere-Williams with Boys Town Louisiana said.
“Our primary goal is that kids are in stable loving environments and we surround the family with the care and support they need to be successful,” Carriere-Williams said.
“A lot of families are struggling right now so to be able to provide them with gifts things that help despite constraints they are feeling during the season it means a lot to them,” she said.
With Tyrone, Dean hopes this plants a seed of good in the bike community.
“The fact that Dean tried to seek a solution in something negative is amazing,” Carriere-Williams said.
A Christmas gift that’s breaking the cycle—down the road!
Boys Town Louisiana’s primary goal is to make sure that kids are in stable and loving environments. They give support the families need to be successful, year-round.