More than 100 new children’s bicycles were donated to the Everett Mall Toys for Tots event this past weekend as part of an effort honoring fallen local Washington State Patrol trooper Sean O’Connell.
The bike drive was organized by the local Make A Change Foundation. Foundation Vice President Chris Mallahan worked with O’Connell at the State Patrol, she said.
O’Connell’s family attended the event on Friday. The drive also collected helmets and $3,200 in toys, Mallahan said.
Police and firefighters from throughout Snohomish and Skagit counties contributed to the drive.
O’Connell died in May in an on-duty accident while working traffic control in Conway after the Skagit River Bridge collapse.
“It’s still clearly fresh in people’s minds,” Mallahan said. “It’s going to be a tough year for their family, and we wanted to do something positive, and here we can give hundreds of kids a great Christmas.”
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