Seven-year-old Alex Kemp lives in Fort Worth, Texas with his parents, Greg and Susan. Alex is visually impaired; he was born with no optic nerve on his left eye and just a tiny bit of optic nerve on his right eye.
One day, not long after Alex started school at Bluebonnet Elementary, his mom got a phone call from Alex’s mobility teacher. She eagerly requested Susan to come to the school to see Alex. Susan walked in to see Alex on a Ranger Tricycle, riding up and down the halls.
Susan said, “I smiled and cried. It was so wonderful to see him riding it. He wasn't scared like he usually is when put on something like this. We have tried him on regular tricycles and he was too frightened to ride them. He was having the time of his life and had the biggest smile on his face and was laughing and talking about what he was doing by himself. He said, ‘Look at me mommy.’ I was so HAPPY.”
Greg and Susan got all of the information about the tricycle and went to look at the bike stores to see if they could find him one. But no one had anything like it. Unfortunately, they weren’t financially able to buy one for him.
Susan phoned up her mom, Alex’s grandmother Sue Farmer, (a.k.a. “Nannie”) who lives in Clarksville, Arkansas. Susan said, “I called my mom and my dad and just went on and on about what Alex did.”
Nannie Sue didn’t miss a beat. Sue Farmer belongs to the Chapter X and is a member of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association. She brought the idea to do a fundraiser to purchase Alex a tricycle, before the members of her Motorcycle Club. Everyone was enthusiastic, and the second week of September they set up a fundraising booth at the County Fair. Alex’s parents Greg and Susan were overjoyed. “We were so touched by this. No one has any idea how happy they are going to make our son Alex.”
Sue Farmer commented, “All I can say is, the people that have helped this fundraiser be a huge success, are so wonderful to give so freely of themselves. It has been a pleasure to work on this project. My grandson will get years of enjoyment from this tricycle and when he outgrows it, we are going to give it to another handicapped child.”
By October, the funds were raised, and the Club organized a party in Clarksville to present the gift Tricycle. Susan said, “We thank everyone involved and we thank Rifton for making a tricycle like this for special needs children. I have not only seen my son on this tricycle, but I have seen some of the other special needs children on it as well and it truly touches you when you see these kids do something that most might think is impossible to do. They are truly happy when they are on this tricycle going down the hallway.”
For an event like this, words are inadequate. You’ve got to see the photos. Pictures are worth a thousand words.
See Photos
From Greg and Susan:
“Thank you Rifton, and thank you mom for getting this fundraiser started. Thanks to everyone involved and the donations given from all of the people to make this happen. You have truly done a great thing for one little boy. He will be so HAPPY.”