HOUSTON – For 25 years, A-Better Kids, which is a nonprofit program of A-Better Bail Bond, and Hamp's Camp have raised money to make sure that children of Houston-area battered women and incarcerated parents have a merry Christmas, giving away 150 new bicycles.
This year, however, the program had to wait a little longer to make that happen.
"I know we're kind of behind the eight ball," said Kelvin Hampton, CEO of A-Better Bail Bond. "We're normally scheduled before Christmas, but the wildfires in California held up our shipment."
Because the new bikes didn't arrive until Wednesday night, the volunteers weren't able to assemble them, so they were displayed in boxes Thursday morning inside Dave & Buster's on Richmond Avenue.
"We give bikes out today. In about 20 years from now, they will be doing the same thing, so it's about starting a trend and keeping it going," said Rodney Hampton, a former NFL Super Bowl champion.
Hampton is the head of Hamp's Camp, a nonprofit after-school and summer sports program.
"Just trying to make the kids smile and be happy," Rodney Hampton said.
Heather Wilburn walked out Thursday with her husband, carrying two new bikes for their children.
"When they were younger, I was going through a lot of stuff," Wilburn said. "So this year my husband just recently started working and the only thing they wanted for Christmas was a bike."