With spring in the air we’re talking bikes today – or rather, adaptive tricycles. Kids with disabilities want to ride just as much as any child, and with a little bit of extra support they too can navigate those inviting sidewalks. Sadly, adaptive trikes are far too rarely covered by Medicaid or insurance, even with a strong case for the therapeutic benefits of cycling. Thankfully, there is a growing list of great organizations that recognize this gap between kids and adaptive bikes.
Do you remember the thrill of speed and freedom when you biked for the first time? It’s a rite of passage that every child deserves. And in a perfect world we’d give away every trike we make, just to make that possible. Sadly we can’t. All the more we are heartened when we see local communities and neighborhoods stepping up to make those dreams come true.
Friendship Circle, a non-profit organization in Michigan, is determined to share this joy with numerous children with special needs who now have the very real possibility of riding their own bike one day. In just six years, over 1000 children and youth with special needs have received an adaptive tricycle through their annual giveaway.
With their motto “Every Child Deserves a Bike,” they use social media to run a fund-raising platform where families can enter their child to receive a bike. The Great Bike Giveaway is a beautiful yearly event, and it deserves our attention and support.
This Giveaway is open to children and families throughout the United States (and this year, even Canada), offering them the opportunity to obtain an adaptive bike. Share this online adventure with families who have a child wishing to ride their own bike. And also share this link with friends and organizations willing to make a Valentine’s day donation of love and financial support to this growing effort, so that even more children can receive the bike of their dreams.
The 2018 Great Bike Giveaway began on Feb 1 and ends on March 7. Click here to learn how it works.
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