After August theft, donors send bikes, equipment to Austin rec center

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The city of Austin's Lorraine "Grandma" Camacho Activity Center received donations of new bicycles and equipment after thieves targeted the recreation site last month.

The Austin Parks and Recreation Department confirmed 16 bikes were stolen during the incident, amounting to approximately $25,000 in lost property due to the thefts. The stolen bikes were used as part of the center's cycling programming, which features youth cycling, summer and spring break camps, youth biking sessions and other outreach efforts, PARD officials said.

In an update Friday, PARD officials said the latest donations came from local, regional and national foundations, businesses, nonprofits and cyclists.

Donors included H-E-B, The Trail Conservancy, Guardian Bikes, Specialized Bikes, The LeadOut Foundation, Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop and Celis Thursday Walnut Creek Meetup Group. Those organizations and groups donated funding, bikes, helmets, product discounts and services to the city of Austin's youth cycling program.

That program assists younger city residents in learning how to bike and teaching cycling safety measures, per the release.

“Because of the recent surge of community support, the City's youth cycling programs are not only replacing bikes lost to theft but, are also upgrading our fleet with new youth bikes and helmets,” PARD's Interim Director Angela Means said in the release. “The generosity of these foundations, businesses, non-profits, and cyclists is akin to the Department winning a large national grant for municipal youth cycling programs.”