The Children’s Healing Institute, a nonprofit child abuse prevention center, distributed over 60 youth bikes to families enrolled in the Institute’s Parent Aide and TEACUP® Preemie programs on Saturday, May 30, 2020. The bikes, donated by McGaughy’s Suspension in Fresno, CA with the help of Eddy Cebreco of Overpower Customs in Lake Park, were assembled at The Children’s Healing Institute in West Palm Beach for families to pick up.

With stay-at-home orders and social distancing restricting kids’ typical outdoor activity and play, bikes can make an immense difference in the quality of children’s lives. Eddy Cebreco, friend of The Children’s Healing Institute and owner of Overpower Customs, agrees. Each year on his birthday, Cebreco organizes toy drives and other events to benefit the children served by the Institute. This year, he asked his friends at McGaughy’s Suspension in Fresno, CA, to help accomplish his dream of providing a bicycle to every child at The Children’s Healing Institute who needs one. As Cebreco relates, “I remember what getting a bike meant to me; bring able to go outside and ride with other kids in the neighborhood. So if I can help pass that feeling on to kids in our area, what more could you ask for out of life?”

To Michelle and Mike McGaughy, it was an easy “yes.” As Michelle shares, “my husband came from a very poor family. To him, a bike was the ultimate gift to receive as a child. Eddy does so much for the kids in your area so I wanted to surprise him with the gift of bicycles to brighten the lives of 65 kids.” Cebreco was stunned by the generosity of his friends in California and rallied his friends at Jeffro’s Heroes to help transport the bikes from Cebreco’s shop to the Institute.

Dr. Sandy Munoz, CEO of The Children’s Healing Institute, is moved by this generous gift, as she knows well the difference a bike can make in a child’s life, especially during the pandemic. “Kids are unsettled right now. Parents are stressed out and home-life is different than before. We know that bikes keep kids active, and we hope that will alleviate some stress in the home.”

The smiles of children’s faces is all the reward that Michelle McGaughy needs. “I know these are tough times for many. If we can help a child or teen get outside for some fresh air, provide transportation for the teens, then that’s what this is all about.”