Local special needs kids receive gift of adaptive bikes
A few local special needs children were gifted with adaptive bikes Saturday thanks to Variety, the Children’s Charity of the Desert. Eight kids were chosen to receive the special bikes.
In February, the eight recipients were evaluated and custom fitted for their adaptive bikes with SoCal Trykers, a chapter of AmTryke; Kevin Hams, Tony Valenzula, Todd Lockway and Young Variety Desert.
Previous bike recipients were invited to present bikes to the new bike recipients. Members of the Coachella Valley Composite Mountain Bike Team were on hand to work with the children by showing them how to have fun on their new bike with a cone course set up for them to parade through at the Children’s Museum in Rancho Mirage.
It’s all part of charity’s effort to celebrate National Mobility Month. The awareness month was developed to teach seniors, veterans and people with disabilities how to live an active and mobile lifestyle through the use of wheelchair accessible vehicles and adaptive mobility equipment and encourages people with disabilities to embody the spirit of life moving forward by raising awareness of the mobility solutions available in their community.
“These bikes provide children with therapeutic exercise, confidence and freedom. It’s hard to describe the joyful feeling of watching a child with special needs ride a bike for the very first time,” Becky Moreno, Executive Director; Variety -the Children’s Charity of the Desert, said. “And also added that “these adaptive bikes are often too expensive or not covered by insurance, so Variety fills an important gap for the families and organizations we serve in the Coachella Valley.”
