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Hundreds of bikes donated to children in Union County

Staff with Atrium Health Union has collected more than 3,300 bikes as a part of its annual holiday bike drive over the past 10 years.

MONROE, N.C. — Atrium Health Union hospital will once again help Christmas and holiday wishes come true for underprivileged kids in Union County.

For the 10th consecutive year, hospital staff rolled out hundreds of bikes Tuesday morning to donate to the Union County Christmas Bureau.

“For many people, the memory of their first bike is a lasting and meaningful one,” Denise White, vice president, facility executive, and chief nurse executive at Atrium Health Union, said. “It’s a feeling our teammates relate to and a program they feel connected to. We want as many children as possible to share in that feeling – that joy – each and every year.”

It’s a tradition employees at Atrium Health Union look forward to every year with teams collecting bikes and monetary donations to help children who may not otherwise receive gifts this Christmas season.

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"It’s quite a buzz,” Holli Breeden, operations manager for Atrium Health Union, said. “Denise and I and the team start back in September."

The bike drive has delivered more than 3,300 bikes of all shapes and sizes to the Christmas Bureau since 2011.

To keep each child safe, the hospital pays for a helmet with each bike donation.

"We're here not just to provide care when they're sick,” White said. “We want to be able to give back to them when they're well and give them this joy and this hope."

Whether it’s a tricycle or a two-wheeler, each bike is donated with the hope it puts a smile on a child’s face this Christmas.

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