At 9 a.m. Saturday, 500 unassembled bicycles sat in a warehouse in east Vancouver.
By 11 a.m., they were assembled, double-checked for safety and prepared for delivery to kids in need of a present this holiday season.
The bikes were donated to the Scott Campbell Christmas Promise, an annual event organized by Waste Connections in partnership with various Clark County community organizations. They were assembled by more than 100 volunteers who gathered at Taylor Transport on Saturday morning despite the pouring rain.
Eleven years ago, Scott Campbell — a beloved Waste Connections employee and civic leader in Clark County — founded the event. Now, it lives on in his memory.
Last year, due to the pandemic, volunteers picked up the bikes and assembled them in their own homes.
This year, it was a hybrid event: Volunteers had the option to assemble the bikes in the large, heated tents outside the Taylor Transport warehouse or to take them home.
The volunteers gathered by 9:30 a.m. Many were dressed in festive garb. Christmas music played over the speaker. A convincing Santa and an elf walked through the crowd, ringing bells and providing words of encouragement. Some volunteers handed out breakfast burritos, coffee and cookies.
In 2019, nearly 1,000 bikes were assembled and distributed. Last year, only 400 were.
This year, organizers sought more bikes, but supply chain issues made things difficult, according to Waste Connections government and community affairs director Cyndi Holloway.
“It was a real challenge getting bikes this year,” she said. “We actually ordered 523 bikes and only received 500.”
Funding for the event came from the J. Scott Campbell Community Foundation Fund, the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, fundraising and donations.
Volunteers represented numerous community organizations and small businesses. Some came independently. Many brought family members and friends.
A large group assembled the bikes in one tent. After assembly, bikes were transferred to another group that conducted quality-control checks. They tightened loose handlebars and pedals, adjusted chains’ tension and performed other tasks.
Volunteers from Bike Clark County, a nonprofit and bike shop in downtown Vancouver, oversaw the quality-control checks.
After quality control, the bikes were prepared for delivery to multiple entities that will distribute them to children in need, including the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Santa’s Posse, Friends of the Children, Police Activities League and more.
Assembly
Inside the assembly tent, volunteers were working hard and fast.
Waste Connections district manager Derek Ranta and his son Finnian were organizing tools on the table in preparation for the work ahead.
Finnian, 15, has participated in the event every year since he was 4 years old. Now, he knows his away around a bike.
“It feels good to give back to the community,” he said.
His dad agreed. “I knew Scott Campbell well back in the day. He was committed to making sure that every kid has a nice present at Christmas,” Ranta said. “This event started small, and it’s pretty impressive what it’s become. It’s a great opportunity for us to give back.”
Another volunteer, Clark County resident Andi Costello, was struggling with a small, beige bike.
“I feel new empathy for parents on Christmas Eve. This is stressful!” she said. “That’s why everybody’s been helping me.”
Costello heard about the event through Facebook and decided to volunteer.
“This is such a great organization,” she said. “It’s nice that we can gather again to support the community like this.”
Behind Costello was Ridgefield Mayor Don Stose, working quickly and deliberately.
“This is my fourth bike I’ve assembled so far,” he said, tightening the handlebars on a medium-sized, cherry-red bike. “It’s just nice to be able to come out here and build these bikes and to give some little kiddo a great Christmas.”
A volunteer with Main Event Sports Grill, Jason Fish, was handing out burritos to people taking a quick break from all the cranking, twisting and lifting that bike assembly requires.
“This event was really Scott’s thing,” Fish said. “He was one of the best leaders I’ve ever known, and he helped make so many dreams come true.”
