Young Family Athletic Center to host bike giveaway on December 8, 2024

The Young Family Athletic Center(YFAC) will be abuzz on December 8 with a giveaway event that will see 500 bikes provided to area children at no cost. The event, set to begin at noon, is funded by the Trae Young Family Foundation and Prime Time Transportation.

Chad Jones, managing partner of Prime Time Transportation and his wife, Mattie, said the event builds on one they had last year which saw 220 bikes given away at one of their businesses in South Oklahoma City.

"We saw last year that we had to turn away at least 150 more cars," Mattie Jones said. "So we knew that there was a bigger need than we had provided for last year."

This year, working with Walmart, the group was able to purchase bikes directly from a bicycle vendor. They are looking forward to a collaborative event that spreads some holiday cheer for children and families.

The event will be structured as a drive-thru pickup. There are only two eligibility requirements: A child must be in the car and only one bike will be provided per vehicle. There is no residency requirement for the giveaway. Mattie Jones said the one-bike per vehicle requirement is to ensure that they help as many families as possible. The giveaway will feature 16-, 18-, and 20-inch bicycles evenly split between boys' and girls' styles.

Coordinators said their experience last year showed them the need for a location that could handle a large influx of vehicles. The partnership with the Trae Young Family Foundation made the YFAC a natural choice. At its core, the Trae Young Family Foundation believes in "giving back and making a positive change in the world." The Foundation, established in 2019, was a primary contributor in the creation of the YFAC - a City of Norman facility that came online in February 2024 and, among other things, features a wide array of athletic venues and health offices.

Athletic Operations Supervisor at the YFAC, Kellen McCoy, says the YFAC is prepared to handle expected traffic at the event and volunteers or staff will be in place to help direct vehicles.

"They'll enter Rock Creek Road off of Northwest 24th and then they'll take that right and go around the back of the facility and then come back around the front into the roundabout, get their bike and then exit off of Trae Young Drive," McCoy said.

Mattie Jones said the process is very streamlined: "We have a group of volunteers that will be distributing tickets to the cars as they wait in line. They will educate the families on the different sizes, as well as what age ranges those typically serve. They will make their choice about the bicycle they would like and receive a ticket for that particular size and style. That way when they reach the front of the line, they will give their ticket to another volunteer who will load the bike for them."

The noon event will last until all bicycles have been given away.

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