Aubrey Daniels, 5, tries to describe the size of Santa's girth to Tennessee Intensity coach Mark Daniel on Thursday. The Tennessee Intensity softball team decided to forgo their annual Christmas party and instead volunteered their time with less fortunate children at the Chambliss House.Stephanie Morales is 9 and received her first bicycle Thursday. She likes its purple color, its wheels and its bell.
Morales was one of 13 children who received bicycles from the Main Street Bicycle Cooperative, the first year that the organization gave bikes away during Christmas time, said Heather Sivley, president of the co-op's board.
"It's something that we want to do," Sivley said.
Zac Holford, director of the co-op, said Christmas tends to be a time when there's a lot of charity work done and "we wanted to be part of that with our capabilities."
Part of the co-op's mission is to make Chattanoogans better bicyclists by teaching them to be self-reliant and that starts at an early age, Sivley said.
The bikes were made from recycled parts donated by community members, Sivley said.
The kids also got helmets, lights and bells that were donated by other local organizations, Holford said.
The bicycle donations wasn't the only act of Christmas giving that took place Thursday.
Earlier, a local 14-and-under girls softball team threw a party and played games with a group of about 25 children at the Children's Home/Chambliss Shelter. The children at the center, who are from low-income families, came from two classes -- a prekindergarten class that goes to school there and an after-school class of kindergartners, said teacher Velma McKamey.
The softball team, called the Tennessee Intensity, usually has a team holiday party, but this year, the group wanted to do something different and decided to give back, coach Mark Daniel said.
"[It's a] really valuable life experience," Daniel said.
The team and kids joined together for several activities, including a pizza lunch and an opportunity for the pre-K and kindergartners to decorate sugar cookies, frosting them using popsicle sticks and adding sprinkles.
"It really reminds you how grateful you are," said team member Abby Walker.
Walker, 14, said her favorite part was talking to the kids.
"They're so sweet," she said.