A surprise bicycle for Christmas

Kyul, a six year old, was hanging around the firehouse just off Martin Luther King Jr. Drive on Nov. 13, when Battalion Chief Constance Zambella spotted him.

“When I asked him what he wanted, he said he wanted to get a picture on the fire truck,” Zambella.

The boy’s mother was nearby. And as Zambella began to talk to her, she learned that the family was having some hard times this year.

“When I talked to his mother, she said she was going through some tough times,” Zambella said.

Christmas might not turn out to be as happy as in the past.

“I called Mark Lee because I know he runs a toy drive for the department and asked if he could do something for the boy,” Zambella said. Lee, a fire fighter, has run the Jersey City Fire Department’s Capt. Mark V. Lee Sr. Christmas Fund Toy Drive, in his father’s name since 2014.

Lee said when Zambella called him he drove over and brought a new bicycle to give to Kyul for Christmas.

“When I heard the story, I got the address and brought the bicycle down to him.”  Mark Lee.

“My father started the drive in 1986 and when he passed away, we kept up the drive,” Lee said.

But he also expanded it, managing to give gifts to 2,000 kids in 2014, and an expected 7,000 kids last year.

The drive runs until a few days before Christmas each year when people drop off gifts to any firehouse in the city.

Lee said he and his mother, Cheryl Lee, help kids from local schools, churches, hospitals, and various youth organizations.

Lee’s father was a 9/11 first responder who died on May 9, 2014 from respiratory problems related to the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Named for a hero

Lee, Sr. was 54 years old, and had served in the Jersey City Fire Department for nearly 30 years, becoming captain of Engine Company 10. He received numerous awards as a firefighter and volunteer. He volunteered for a wide variety of organizations including the Special Olympics Torch Run and Fireman’s Picnic and was a Board Member of the FDJC Distress Fund. He was Irish Firefighter of the year in 2011

But when he began to succumb to health problems, he was concerned about the fate of the toy drive since he knew it was a way to reach many needy kids in the community.

He asked his family to carry it on after his passing.

The fire department collects unwrapped gifts, and then fire fighters gather a few days before the holiday to gift wrap them.

While people donate gifts, local corporations and individuals have donated money to help purchase them.

“After we collect them, we deliver them to needy kids,” Lee, Jr. said.

Lee and others take the presents to community centers, hospitals and other places throughout Jersey City, playing Santa Claus to kids like Kyul who might not otherwise have much of a Christmas.

But when Lee heard about Kyul from Zambella, he decided to deliver the gift early.

Lee said, “The drive is all about helping kids and keeping a promise to our father.”

So the six year old Kyul, who had wanted to get a picture taken on a fire truck, also got a bicycle for Christmas.

“It was an amazing thing,” said Zambella.

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