The Ackerman family in Rockton have done a lot for their community and they're looking to do some more. 

I'm old. 41 years old, 42 in less than a week and I don't have kids, so I'm not really in tune with what kids are into nowadays. I know when I was a kid, if I was ranking my possessions, my bike would have been right at the top. It was my freedom. I could go anywhere. Even if my parents set specific street boundaries like "don't cross N. 2nd" or "no further than grandma's," what they didn't know didn't hurt them. When you hopped on your bike the possibilities were endless, as long as they got you home by dinner.

Now I realize it's basically (might actually, not sure) a felony to allow your kid to go anywhere out of eyesight before the age of 18. It's kind of weird if you ask me. It was dangerous back in the 80s, but most of us came out ok and were better for it. There was no way to get a hold of your parents back then. Today, even if your kid doesn't have a cell phone, they'll be able to get in touch with you in probably a matter of minutes.

Anyway. We're not here to talk about the loss of childhood innocence. We're here to talk about an amazing family up in Rockton.

The Ackermans

The Ackermans moved here three years ago from South Africa. Mom Leigh-Ann, dad Jacques, and children Jordan and Trystan wanted to do something to give back to their community and came up with a great idea when a neighbor asked them if they wanted some old bikes from their garage. They fixed them up as a family and then gave them away.

WREX - "We had a collection of four or five," Leigh-Ann said. I put it on the Next Door app to let everyone know we were giving them away for free. We had an amazing response. All the bikes went."

Over the last month they've collected 40 more bikes and gave away another dozen.

It's a project they plan on continuing throughout the summer and possibly longer. If you have bikes or bike parts to donate or are interested in receiving a bike, you can contact the Ackermans in Rockton on the Next Door app or call them at 779-772-6164.

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