Firefighters replace student’s stolen bike

A Mississauga firefighter was prompted to raise funds to replace a child’s bike just before Christmas.

Jeff Jones was working at the Mineola Public School, conducting tests of the fire alarm system, when he met Andy Feng, a grade four student.

Feng was in the principal’s office after having his bike stolen.

Jones spoke with School principal Daphne Howard and asked to be notified if the child’s family were unable to replace the bike. A few weeks later, Howard told Jones that a new bike wasn’t an option, so Jones took matters into the fire halls.

After making a few calls, Jones had raised $400 – enough for a new bike, helmet and lock. Yesterday, Jones and a few of his colleagues met Feng to give the student his new bike.

Feng was a bit stunned, but once the shock wore off, he was very happy to have a new bike.

The student’s mother, Jane Feng, talked about the impact on her son of having his old bike stolen.

“He was pretty upset because he loved his bike a lot,” said Feng, to Mississauga.com. “He rode it every day back and forth from school.”

She added that the gift of the bike really “shows that [the firefighters] really care about the community,” saying that her son also gained a valuable lesson in the meaning of a community coming together to help.