Teens continue Friendship Wheels tradition of donating bikes to Cheer Fund effort

COLUMBUS, Ind. — The nonprofit campaign Friendship Wheels has raised nearly $25,000 during the past eight years to provide bicycles at Christmas to children through the Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund — and two of its main organizers are still in high school.

Friendship Wheels describes itself as “a charity bike ride organized by kids who want to help other kids in Columbus, Indiana.” Although the charity bike ride has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the past few years, the giving has continued.

The annual campaign partners with the Cheer Fund to give bikes to dozens of children at Christmas. It was founded by young bicycle enthusiasts Siddha Hall, Solomon Hall, Ty Greathouse and Cameron Greathouse.

The kids created the event when they were in elementary school, with the help of their parents.

Siddha and Solomon are now a junior and sophomore, respectively, at Trinity Lutheran High School in Seymour. The Halls organized the bike ride when they still resided in Columbus. Andrea “Andy” Hall, mother of Siddha and Solomon, said in a previous interview that family members continued it because they believe strongly in the Cheer Fund’s mission.

According to co-chair Ben Noblitt, this Christmas the Cheer Fund was able to buy 60 bicycles using funds from both Friendship Wheels and a $500 donation by Jason Major with Cummins, Inc. He estimated that about 55 of the bikes came out of the Friendship Wheels donation.

For the complete story and more photos, see Saturday’s Republic.