Upcoming Fundraiser to Replace Kids’ Stolen Bikes
(Crystal A. Proxmire, 4/22/2011)
Even in the quiet community of Ferndale, sometimes children have their bikes stolen. The Loving Touch and officers who work for the Ferndale Police Department have teamed up to host the Bikes for Lil’ Tykes Pool Tournament to raise money to give new bikes to ten such youngsters.
The tournament will be May 1, 2011 from 3pm to 7 pm. Participants will be asked to donate $15 and supporters will be asked to donate $10. The Loving Touch is providing drink specials and light finger appetizers.
Sergeant Baron Brown is organizing the event. “We picked 10 kids because this is a new program and it seemed to be a realistic goal for us. Those kids have not yet been identified but we are working to that end,” he said.
In 2010 the City had 36 reported bicycle thefts. So far Brown has determined that six of them were bicycles that belonged to minors. Brown said that many bicycle thefts go un-reported, and many could be avoided if bicycle owners used locks.
In August 2010, Police Chief Timothy Collins issued a press release giving tips to avoid bicycle theft – http://www.ferndale115.com/20100806bikethefts.html. He recommended the following:
Do not leave bicycles unattended in your yard or in places where they are observable from the sidewalk or street.
Do not leave bicycles unlocked in business areas or store parking lots.
Do not leave bicycles in areas (locked or unlocked) for long periods of time.
When locking a bicycle, make sure you are doing it properly (lock the frame and not a removable section of the bicycle such as a front wheel)
Brown said that bicycles that are confiscated or found/turned in cannot be given away by the department. “That type of property is technically part of the revenue stream for the city and not available to us,” he said. Although he hopes the Bikes for Little Tykes Pool Tournament will raise enough money to pay for ten new ones.
This project is being undertaken by some of the officers of the police department. It is not financially supported by the city nor is it an official city event.
The organizers are also seeking donations for door prizes to go along with a 50/50 raffle. If you would like to help, please contact Sergeant Brown at 248-541-3650.