LYNN ― It was as perfect of a September day as one could imagine. Some would say it was the perfect day to ride a bike. That’s exactly what Dontae Parsons was able to do, thanks to Lennin Pena.
Parsons recently had his bike stolen from his home; as the young Lynn resident is known for riding his bike around the city, the discovery that his bike was taken was quite the disappointment.
But Pena, who is running for School Committee, wanted to see what he could do to try and get Parsons his bike back. On Saturday, he was able to deliver a brand-new set of wheels to the child.
With help from community members, Pena was able to raise over $450 to get Parsons a bike. With a crisp yellow paint job and gargantuan wheels, it now will be hard to miss Parsons’ ride. And, arguably the most important part of the gift, Pena also gave Parsons a lock for his bike.
Pena said that it struck him personally that someone would take a bike from Parsons, who has also been diagnosed with autism.
“I feel like it’s our responsibility as members of the community ― and as a parent myself, I feel like when you see things like that happen you need to come together,” said Pena.
Parsons’ mother, Tabitha, said that when she posted on social media about the bike being stolen she was simply hoping that someone would be able to return it; she added that she never imagined what happened next.
“Out of the kindness of their hearts they did this for him and it’s good to know you got people that are like that out here,” she said.
Pena said that he would like to thank Christian Cyr, Fred Hogan, Coco Alinsug, Rick Starbard, Brian LaPierre, Robert Fennell, Wanda Lopez, Michael Satterwhite, Darren Cyr, and Rosie Conway for their generous donations.
Parsons said that he liked the color of the bike as well as the suspension, and said that it felt good being able to ride a new bike.
