Thirty-one children received new bicycles Saturday thanks to the efforts of the Lady Lake Police Department.
It was the very first bicycle for 1-year-old Nahla Tolbert. She eagerly accepted her tiny Minnie Mouse tricycle from Santa Claus during the festivities which included lunch, cupcakes and, of course, the bicycle giveaway at American Legion Post 375.
Little Nahla picked up on the handling of the tricycle with some help from her 7-year-old brother Deandre Walters, a student at The Villages Elementary at Lady Lake. He also took home a new bicycle.
The bicycles were paid for thanks to help from local clubs, according to Police Chief Robert Tempesta.
The police department, led by the efforts of the chief’s administrative assistant Jan Miller, worked closely with local schools to make sure the bicycles were a perfect fit in every way. The police department obtained the correct measurement and sizing for each child and collected a little bit of “inside” information. That’s how Santa Claus “knew” that 7-year-old Eriandy Torres might like to have a Spiderman-themed bicycle. It even came with a matching Spiderman helmet. His 4-year-old sister Sophia was also thrilled with her new bicycle.
Jesse Corley of The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake arrived a little late for the party, coming straight off a 15-3 Little League victory. The 9-year-old third baseman was thrilled to hear the police chief call out his name over the loud speaker and beckon him to come forward and claim his custom bicycle from Santa Claus.
“It’s a great day,” he said.