earnabike15(2)A hot, muggy day turned into a rewarding one for 14 local kids.

The Earn-a-Bike program through Timmins Police and Tim Horton’s is back, and Constable Rick Lemieux says the kids had to do their chores, behave in school and help them clean up the community.

He says they couldn’t do the program without the coffee retailer, and it’s a program that shows that good things happen to good kids.

“A lot of times, what happens is students that misbehave, we tell them ‘If you’re good, you’re going to get some extra stuff,’ and the students that don’t (misbehave), they’re just good students,” Lemieux says.

“They don’t do anything wrong and they just make those good choices.  I don’t want to say we forget about them, but they’re just good kids and they’re kind of in the background because they do all their work and everything.  So this is just for those kids.”

The kids went out with Lemieux and the Youth in Policing summer students to pick up trash around Hollinger Park and Gillies Lake.  They filled 10 garbage bags.

Local Tim Horton’s Manager Neil Chalmers says the heat didn’t help matters, but he was happy to see the perseverance of the kids.

“They earned their bikes today through a lot of hard work,” he said.

He adds Tim Horton’s is all about community involvement, and this is a perfect way to do it.  Chalmers says it teaches the kids something as well.

“It teaches them self-esteem, community spirit and building more friendships,” he said.

10-year old Justin Brouin was a little shy, but he was more than happy to receive his new wheels.

“I like going somewhere sometimes around the block, sometimes at Gillies Lake and the nature trails,” he said, adding he likes the fresh air and being outside.

For 10-year old Kaylee Mallek, timing was everything.

“My mom could not afford the bike at the time so I was excited that I could get one,” she said, adding it’s a good way to exercise.

As for the bike itself, Mallek says it fits her style.

“I don’t like pink stuff and everything like that so it’s a perfect bike,” she added.

Kids between 7 and 13-years old earned the bikes.  Six of them received their bikes today, and expects the others to get theirs once they’re back from vacations.

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