Blacks, St. Nick again giving bikes to kids

Parents’ applications, kids’ essays due by May 15

Fifty children from around Grundy County will be ready to roll this summer.
For the seventh consecutive year, Operation St. Nick, through a private donation from Augie and Marie Black, will present each of 50 youngsters with a new bike, helmet and lock.
Back in 2003, Augie Black gave Operation St. Nick President Joe Schmitz a check for $5,000, stating that he and his wife, Marie, wanted every boy and girl in Grundy County to have the opportunity to have a new bike so they could ride to their neighborhood park to play in the summer.
That tradition continues today.
There is an application form parents of the children need to fill out. Plus, each child requesting a bike must compete a short essay stating what a new bike would mean to them and enable them to do this summer.
To be eligible, they must have reached 5 years of age by June 1 of this year, and be no older than 14. Families with more than one or two children can enter an application for each of their children that qualify.
Applications can be picked up at any of Standard Bank’s eight locations in the Grundy County area.
 There are three banks in Morris, and single banking locations in Coal City, Gardner, South Wilmington, Wilmington and Minooka.
A family must reside in Grundy County to be eligible.
“Once the parents have filled out the application, it can be returned to any of Standard Bank’s eight area banks or mailed to Operation St. Nick, P.O. Box 781, Morris, Ill., 60450,” noted Kathy Lambros, Operation St. Nick board member and chairperson for the “new bicycle” event.
The deadline for having the application and essay delivered or postmarked is May 15.
“The recipients of the new bikes will be given a time to meet an Operation St. Nick member at the Morris Wal-Mart to pick out the bike of their choice, along with a helmet and lock, and take them home with them,” Lambros said.
Schmitz said watching the kids pick out the bikes they want, and them not just receiving any bike, is a joy in itself.
“Some know in just a few moments which bike they want, but most take up to 30 or 45 minutes or so looking over the bikes and choosing that special bike that hits their eye,” Schmitz said. “It may be the only time in these kids’ lives that they have the pleasure and feelings that come with receiving a new bike.”
Schmitz continued, “I know Augie Black and the entire Black family realize what St. Francis of Assisi meant when he said, ‘It’s in giving that we receive.’ They are truly a generous family.”