After Theft, Sand Springs Community Surprises 3 Siblings With Brand New Bikes

Three Sand Springs kids are riding brand new bicycles tonight after thieves took their bikes. The City teamed up with Green Country organizations to make something good happen for this family.

Meet ten-year-old Cooper, nine-year-old Evelynn and eight-year-old Emmett.

The siblings came to Case Community Park in Sand Springs with their mom and baby brother Enzo, to receive a present they had no idea was coming. The Parks and Recreation teams were outside along with team members from This Machine.

"We have been around for about three years in Tulsa, just renting bikes to everyone, getting everyone out cycling, getting people outdoors, enjoying exercise," said Katie Sawicki, Executive Director of This Machine. 

They were waiting for Cooper, Evelynn and Emmett.

"I think I knew what was going to happen, but I had no idea," said Cooper Jewell. 

Jeff Edwards, the Director of Parks and Recreation in Sand Springs, got everybody up on bikes and pushed them to hit the trails. The kids were racing through the tree lines, trying to get the hang of their new rides.

What they didn't realize is the bikes they were riding, weren't just theirs for the day - they are theirs forever.

"We partnered with the Local Church Network who donated some funding to go buy bicycles," said Edwards. "It is no easy task in today's pandemic world because bikes are hard to find. They are hard to come by and they have gone up in price but for Local Church Network to step up to the plate and say this is going to cost more than it would have a year ago but we support this mission, we are behind what you guys are doing."

Members of the Parks and Recreation department invited the kids up to the community center for another ride with the crew this summer.

"I am happy,” Cooper said. “I am probably the happiest kid alive.”