Community Pulls Together To Get Local Boy Some New Wheels

After a year of working and saving up birthday money, 7th grader Anthony Navarro saved up enough to buy himself a used Fitbikeco bicycle off of Craigslist. Unfortunately, last Monday, Navarro had his hard-earned bike stolen right out of the bike cage at Terrace Hills Middle School. Jennifer Araiza with the REC Center took matters into her own hands and started collecting donations to replace Navarro's bike. Thanks to Habu Ewing Taekwondo, Brian Reinarz, Richard Shortridge, Ed Gregor, and the Araiza Family, the goal of $200 was met in less than a week with pledges and donations still coming in. The REC Center had originally planned on purchasing a comparable used bike, but with the assistance of 3Ring, the REC Center was able to connect with B-Rads in Corona who agreed to cover the difference for Anthony to get a brand new bicycle. Once the money was collected, Araiza contacted Anthony's father, Joe Navarro, who didn't tell Anthony what was going on. Joe Navarro only told Anthony to get in the car as they headed to Corona. To Anthony's surprise, B-Rad allowed him to choose his own bicycle. Navarro walked out of the store with a brand new Fitbikeco bicycle. Araiza reached out to the Assistant Principal of Terrace Hills Middle School in regards to using the remaining donations to enclose the bike fence; preventing incidents like this from happening in the future. A local parent has even volunteered the labor of the project, using donations for materials. The details of this improvement to the school are still being worked out. Jennifer Araiza would like to give a huge thank you to the community for pulling together.