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Boy Scout donates bike to a child less fortunate

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Eric Sass of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Boy Scout troop 516 sold $1,815.00 in popcorn and won this bicycle, which he donated to the Salvation Army for their upcoming toy drive.

JANESVILLE — One lucky child will wake up Christmas morning with a shiny, new bicycle under his or her Christmas tree.

Boy Scout Eric Sass, who won the mountain bike after selling the most popcorn—$1,815 worth—within his Troop 516 of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, made the gift possible.

"I already have a bike, but there are many families struggling to make ends meet let alone buy Christmas presents. The bike will make some Janesville family's Christmas very happy," said the 13-year-old Marshall Middle School seventh-grader.

Originally, an anonymous donor gave the bicycle to the Boy Scouts of America Camp Indian Trails. Then Eric's troop won it at camp this summer when a troop committee decided the Scout with the highest fall popcorn sales would get it, explained his parents, Robert and Michell Sass, Janesville.

Eric's good deed doesn't stop there.

This year, he has volunteered almost 40 hours to Scouting activities including the Scott Lorenz Memorial Dinner and Scouting for Food drive, as well as within the community. That includes helping remodel the Janesville Community Day Care Center. He and fellow troop members also will ring bells for the Salvation Army on Monday.

"We have tried hard to teach our children to have compassion for others. The Boy Scouts of America has facilitated this effort," Michell said.

"We cannot express how proud we are of Eric," Robert said. "He could have very easily kept the bike or sold it, but instead thought of another child less fortunate first."