More than 500 kids will get new bikes thanks to RABA and the Heart of Virginia Bike Festival

By Bill Fitzgerald

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    RICHMOND, Virgina (WTVR) — You’ve got a great opportunity next month to help a deserving child get a brand-new bike under the tree this Christmas.

You can also help families of those who have suffered brain injuries know that they are not alone.

The Heart of Virginia Bike Festival at the Hanover Courthouse is September 21, and it’s the Richmond Area Bicycling Association’s (RABA) biggest fundraiser for “Bikes For Kids,” the program that delivers more than 500 bikes to children every year.

The Brain Injury Association of Virginia is also a beneficiary.

“Both of these causes are near and dear to my heart,” said Andrew Mann, a past president of RABA. “My brother suffered a traumatic brain injury and I know how isolated and afraid loved ones can feel.”

He also pointed out the joy and freedom a bike can provide for a young child. “Suddenly they don’t have to be stuck at home, glued to their phone or iPad,” Mann said. “They can go see friends, ride to school, to the store. It’s such an important development step.”

The Heart of Virginia Bike Festival features four rides: a family-oriented 11-mile ride, a half metric-century (50 kilometers, or 33 miles), a metric century (66 miles), and an English century (102 miles).

“There really is a distance for everyone,” said Mann. “And then you can all come back to the courthouse and haver a great lunch.”

The 102-mile ride departs at 7:30 a.m. and the others at 8:30 and 9:30 a.m.

If you’d like to volunteer or register, click here: heartofvabikefestival.org

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