When thieves swiped Devon Wisdom’s birthday bike, the community came calling.
Shelley Sullivan said she was overwhelmed by the support she received after her other son reported the theft on social media. People offered money to help buy him a new bike. The Pie Hole girls provided a half-dozen “funfetti” cupcakes, Canadian 2-for-1 donated pizzas.
“It was so heartfelt, I just really appreciated the fact that people cared,” Sullivan said.
The bike, a rebuilt Kona Joyride, had been in a shed next to her daughter’s place in Forest Grove, waiting to be presented to Wisdom on his surprise 16th birthday last Saturday. When they went to get the bike on Thursday, they found the shed’s lock broken and the bike missing.
The discovery was particularly upsetting, she said, because Devon is autistic and although he is high functioning, he isn’t capable of getting his driver’s licence. The bike - which she estimated is valued at about $2,600 - was to be his new ride. The family believes the shed was broken into in January but they didn’t realize the bike was missing until now.
“There’s a whole other bunch of stuff in there and they didn’t take anything else,” Sullivan said. “I didn’t know what else to do. I basically went out and bought another bike. It’s his 16th birthday, it’s supposed to be special. Girls get a sweet 16, boys get a driver’s licence. I don’t know why people are like this.”
Sullivan said although Wisdom got to pick out his new bike, it didn’t make it any easier to lose the Kona. “He was pretty ticked off,” she said, adding she is on disability. “It was a family effort to get him the bike.”
She’s hoping the bike will be returned but in the meantime has bought Wisdom a lock and plans to keep the new bike inside. “We’ve learned our lesson on that one.”
kelly.sinoski@100milefreepress.net
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