When Burnaby businessman Todd Stephenson donated a dozen bikes to the Burnaby Christmas Bureau he was righting a past wrong that goes back nearly four decades.
When Stephenson was about 10 years old, his parents split up, his siblings were separated, and he was adjusting to life in a new town. He started running with a gang of kids who “needed a bit more supervision,” as he tells it. One day, they were “up to no good” and found and damaged a bike while playing rough. The bike belonged to a child, whose father was clearly upset and disturbed by what Stephenson and his friends had done.
“I don’t remember the words, but it made me realize that what I had done was hurtful. I considered that there was a little child out there that now had a bike that was damaged for no good reason, and that I had hurt that child for no reason,” he said. “The pain of that thought helped turn me back on to a better path, but the event has periodically haunted me ever since.”
Stephenson said that episode has a lasting effect on him.
“I don’t know who those people are, and I can’t take away that unhappiness after almost 40 years, but what I can do is give a bunch of bikes to other kids who might not otherwise have them,” he said.
Stephenson ordered a dozen bikes and had them delivered to the Burnaby Christmas Bureau, which organizes a toy room, where low-income parents can pick up toys for their children. Stephenson couldn’t be happier to help.
“I’m fixing a wrong, I’m making amends, and I have to tell you, this is the thing that I’ve done that’s made me feel the best in a long time. I really feel good about this, and it was the right thing to do,” he said. “Sometimes some of us take twisted paths to bring some extra joy into this world, and I hope this does.”
The Burnaby Christmas Bureau is always interested in donations of cash or new, unwrapped toys. To get involved, go to www.burnabycommunityconnections.com or call 604-299-5778. The bureau’s toy room is at 7252 Kingsway.
