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On a roll: Holiday gift program at Conroe ISD includes bicycles

By: Kim Kyle Morgan, Woodlands Online
| Published 12/11/2017

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THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Conroe ISD Police Chief William J. Harness kept a close eye on things as traffic went cruising by.

But he wasn't watching for speeders, tailgaters or distracted drivers. He was looking for creativity, decorations and the fun factor.

Harness was a judge at McCullough Junior High's indoor bicycle parade Dec. 8.

The parade is part of Children in Santa's Dreams, a program the Conroe ISD Police Department has been organizing since 2002 to help families who need a hand with Christmas gifts. Last year, they were able to give gifts to more than 850 children in 342 Conroe ISD families.

The bicycle portion of the program really got rolling several years ago when a Boy Scout troop working on community-service merit badges donated 50 bikes.

This year, staff and students at McCullough Junior High gifted 120 bicycles, ranging from tricycles to BMX. After showing off the new wheels at the parade, the bikes were taken to the Conroe ISD police station for safekeeping until they can be distributed.

"The bikes are a huge hit," said Conroe ISD Police Sergeant Julie Thompson. "A couple of years ago, when I walked out with a bicycle, the mom literally fell to her knees crying in the parking lot. She never thought in a million years she would ever be able to get a bike for her child."

Children in Santa's Dreams also collects toys and gift cards.

"This year, we challenged our officers that if they wanted to grow a beard in November, they had to make a donation towards the Christmas presents," Harness said. "We raised about $500."

Harness said they’ve always been able to fill every order on their list.

"If we get an order on the last day, we'll take up last-minute donations, get down to the wire, and make sure that everyone who needs a toy gets a toy," he said.

Campuses and departments from across the district participate in the program by holding toy drives, raising funds, wrapping the gifts and loading them into police cars for delivery.

"The training room at our police station becomes Santa's Workshop," Harness said. "You can tell that it's Christmas around here when we get started. It's a beautiful sight."

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