VALDOSTA — Diane Merwin has always had a soft spot in her heart for children.

A few years ago, the volunteer for B.W. Lester Coastal Plains Head Start managed to donate 15 bikes to kids she knew weren’t going to get anything for Christmas, she said.

“When I saw the looks on the other kids’ faces when they didn’t get one, I decided I would do it bigger this year,” Merwin said.

With help from the community, she donated 71 bikes to Coastal Plains and another 51 bikes to Lanier County Head Start this year, she said. Parents received the bikes Dec. 14 at the school, 2522 Copeland Road.

It was a complete surprise to parents. She said they were told to meet at the school for a program but weren’t given any specifics.

When the parents saw the room full of bikes, their faces “lit up with joy,” Merwin said.

All of her grandkids have attended Coastal Plains, and she sits on the school’s policy council. 

Merwin raised the money for the giveaway by going to local businesses, friends and social media asking for help, and the community responded.

“I went to the paper mill, churches and put out the call on Facebook,” she said. “I always wanted to do something like this. There are some kids who don’t get anything for Christmas. The support was really unbelievable.”

Merwin said she believes that every child should have a bicycle. Knowing that 122 kids are going to wake up Christmas morning with one makes her “heart feel really good,” she said.

“My heart just goes out to the community for making this happen and giving these kids a Christmas,” Merwin said. “This might be the only thing some of them get.”

She said she plans on doing the bike giveaway next year and for as many years as she can.

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256