Facebook rides to boy’s rescue
This is a love story.
It stars a boy and his grandfather, a thief and a school principal, Facebook and a village of caring people.
Tony, a fourth-grader at Mound Elementary in Ventura, had his bike stolen after leaving it at school overnight.
Happy Tony with his bike and Mound Principal Todd Tyner.
His misfortune mounted. Riding double on the crossbar of his grandfather’s bike for the two-mile trip home from school shortly thereafter, Tony’s foot caught in the spokes and he flew head over handlebars.
Todd Tyner, Mound’s principal, had not known about the bike theft or the dangerous double-rides to and from school. When Tony showed up on crutches the next day, Tyner asked and learned and cared.
“I knew we needed to get Tony a replacement bike as soon as he was well enough to ride again,” Tyner recalls thinking.
At 11:18 a.m. that very day, Tyner posted on his Facebook page a brief summary of Tony’s predicament. Shining the Bat-Signal above Gotham City’s night skyline could not have elicited a speedier response of help.
Indeed, a mere two minutes later at 11:20 a.m. – sent from a mobile phone because the Good Samaritan did not want to delay until getting home – came this on-line reply: “I have a bike he can have. He can choose from 4 cuz my kids never ride them.”
Another offer came at 11:36 a.m. – “he can have my beach cruiser. it needs fresh tires but that should be easy to take care of.”
And another and another . . .
12:15 p.m. – “I got $10. If we all chip in we can buy a nice new one.”
12:21 p.m. – “I have a specialized BMX I could part with! Needs a new pedal.”
12:24 p.m. – “I have 2 new bikes in my garage. Need air in tires.”
2:24 p.m. – “We have a brand new boys bike that he can have.”
3:15 p.m. – “I want to help. Can I drop some money off at school?”
And on and on, more than 30 offers for bikes, helmets, locks and cash in a few hours. The problem of no bike turned into one of too many bikes. A nice problem to have. Tyner actually had to turn off the Bat-Signal.
Sitting in his office recalling the “It’s A Wonderful Life”-like event, Tyner is asked if he was surprised by the kind outpouring?
“No, not really,” he answers. “The Internet is a wonderful way to reach out to the community. I knew if I let people know about the need, someone would have an extra bike. This is a very caring community. I see it a lot.”
This time it was a bike, but other days Tyner has seen backpacks and school supplies donated to kids who are without.
And this past December some Mound teachers collected two large bags of clothes and shoes for a couple students in need. They asked Tyner to surreptitiously drop them off at the boys’ home before Christmas, which he did.
“We see them wearing the clothes,” Tyner shares. “That is a rewarding feeling.”
So, too, was the feeling of summoning Tony into the Principal’s Office after the boy was finally off crutches three weeks later.
“I said, ‘I know you need a bike,’ ” Tyner retells. “I told him about Facebook and that more than 40 people had offered to help him out. Tony thought it was pretty exciting that there were people out there who cared enough to give him a bike.”
Along with a new safety helmet and lock (care of Rob and Karri Button), Tony was given his choice of the two bikes that were ultimately donated – the other is being kept for a similar exigency down the road. He selected a shiny red BMX, good as new after Tyner cleaned it a little and pumped up the tires.
“Tony had a big smile when he rode home that day,” Tyner says, beaming at the recent memory he will surely carry into his old age – as will Tony.
As I said at the start, this is a love story. The name of the bike benefactor is Danielle Love. How perfect is that?
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– Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for the Star. You can contact Woody at WoodyWriter@gmail.com or www.WoodyWoodburn.com