12/22/2009

Longshoremen’s local No. 4 provides bicycles for children

Contact

Mary Blanchette, Children’s Justice Center Phone: (360) 397-6002

Vancouver, WA – For the third year in a row, the International Longshoremen’s & Warehousemen’s Union No. 4 has provided children who have been victims of abuse, have families in crisis, or who are in foster care with 64 new bicycles as holidays gifts.

The bikes are distributed through the Children’s Justice Center to social workers, law enforcement officers, victims’ advocates and mental health providers, who give them to children under their care or protection.

The local also worked with the Vancouver Fire Department to ensure that each bike was delivered with a helmet for road safety.

“Their remarkable effort each year has made a huge difference in the lives of many local children,” said Mary Blanchette, executive director of the Arthur D. Curtis Children’s Justice Center. ”It is this kind of thoughtfulness that builds and strengthens a community for children.

“There’s a wealth of experience for a child that comes with having a bike,” she said. “Without the Longshoremen’s efforts, many kids in our community would be without an important milestone of childhood.”

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