The “Sherm Harmer Community Impact Award” is awarded to the individual from the construction industry whose broader contributions to the San Diego Community, including non-profit, education, and other types of public service reflect positively upon the Building Industry Association of San Diego.
There is no more deserving individual to receive this award than BIA Cares Life Director, Eric Jones, who has devoted his time, talent and love for the community to BIA Cares’ Annual Holiday Bike Drive for the past 29 years.
As a member of the BIA Cares Board of Directors since its inception in 1990, Eric single-handedly organizes requests and purchases bikes resulting in over 12,000 bikes being placed into the hands of San Diego youth during the holiday season. Established in 1995, the Bike Drive was started by Eric Jones and Mark McMillin, where employees of The Corky McMillin Companies were drafted to assemble each and every bike. Since that time Eric continues to overcome the obstacles of supply and availability of bikes and works tirelessly with his long-standing partner, Walmart, to make this annual project come to fruition. During a typical Holiday Bike Drive, Eric will purchase 250-350 bikes from 9 different Walmart stores in San Diego County and, with the help of BIA Cares Board Members, will spend over 65 hours picking up and distributing bikes to 15-20 different organizations each and every year.
Here are just a few of the organizations that have been the beneficiary of the BIA Cares Holiday Bike Drive over the years: Anybody Can Youth Foundation, Barrio Station, Bilateral Human Trafficking Coalition Foundation, Camp Pendleton Marine Families, Copley-Price YMCA Holiday Event, Hope Through Housing Foundation, Inspirational Men of Color Foundation, Kennedy Elementary School, Marine Corp. Toys for Tots, Miracles for Kids, Navy Seal Family Foundation, NBC Channel 7 Toy Drive, NFL Retired Players Foundation, Pro-Kids Golf Academy & Learning Center, Promises2Kids Foundation, San Diego Boy & Girls Club, San Diego Community Solutions, San Diego Unified Schools, South Bay Community Services, StarPAL After School Program, Sweetwater Springs Elementary, The Moyer Foundation, U.S. Marine Corps – Miramar, United Cerebral Palsy, Urban Street Angels, US Coast Guard Family Holiday Program, USO Program on the USS Midway, USS Monsoor Naval Holiday Program.
