Santa’s elves were busy this week giving bicycles to two different groups of children and teens.
Employees from Textron and Plant Vogtle participated in events on Wednesday and Thursday. The employees gave away bicycles, helmets and bike chains plus an invitation to ride with their teams on PaceDay Oct. 5, 2025, to raise money for cancer research through Paceline.
“This is part of our mission of connecting organizations and the community around the fight against cancer,” said Martyn Jones, Paceline president.
Started in 2019, Paceline is an annual bike ride that has raised more than $1.5 million for cancer research at the Georgia Cancer Center. This year’s event was cancelled due to Hurricane Helene.
Plant Vogtle employees have supported Paceline from the beginning and are in their third year of providing bicycles for children at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Augusta.
On Thursday, employees assembled the bikes at the club and presented them to the students.
Diana Royal, Plant Vogtle’s DE&I co-chair, said it’s a positive experience for everyone involved.
It provides the children an opportunity to own a bike which is something many of them have never done, and it promotes healthy habits. For the Vogtle employees, it provides a positive teambuilding experience.
Royal said she hopes the children will be encouraged to raise funds for Paceline along with the Vogtle team.
Five students received bikes at Textron on Wednesday according to Brad Budd, an IT infrastructure manager. The students are part of Richmond County’s Reaching Potential through Manufacturing Program.
Budd also stopped by Thursday’s event to lend a hand. He has participated with Paceline for three years and served as Textron’s team captain for two.
An avid cyclist, he sees the partnership as a way to introduce the students to the sport of cycling while helping a good cause. This is Textron’s first year, but Budd hopes it will become an annual one.
“We want to grow this partnership with Richmond County schools and Textron,” he said, adding he’d be looking for community sponsors to help.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years and is a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here
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