Somewhere in the North Pole, Santa is making a list and checking it twice, elves are keeping busy in the toy factory and Rudolph is playing reindeer games. Here in Charles County, the Sheriff’s Office and Bike Doctor are also conjuring up the Christmas Spirit but they need the community’s help.

Each year, the Sheriff’s Office raises money to purchase new bicycles from Bike Doctor for 50 specially selected children. Bike Doctor’s employees order and assemble the bicycles at no cost to the Sheriff’s Office and a few days before Christmas, community policing officers deliver the bicycles and a new helmet to unsuspecting children or to parents who want to keep the surprise a secret until Christmas morning.

“It’s tough for a lot of people to get by in this economy and it seems like a lot to ask for donations of any sort but we must remember that some families need our help now more than ever,” said Sheriff Rex Coffey. “As a father and a grandfather, I’ve seen the delight in children’s eyes on Christmas morning. To know that we have helped other children experience that delight is really what the Christmas spirit and this community are all about.”

Citizens willing to contribute to the bike giveaway program are asked to mail their donations to Charles County Sheriff’s Office/ATTN: Cadets/PO Box 189/La Plata, MD 20646. Checks should be made payable to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and “Bicycle Donation Fund” should be noted in the memo section. The deadline for donations is Nov. 27. Questions about the giveaway program may be directed to Lt. Billy Caywood, supervisor of the Community Services Section, at (301) 932-3046.