On December 20, 2012, Variety presented more than 81 customized adaptive bikes to children with disabilities  during “The Gift of ‘My Bike’ at IBEW” event, and it was truly a magical day.

Isiah, age 10 from New Castle, received his adaptive bike at the presentation.  His mom, Jolene, spoke through tears, saying,

“This is not just a bike for Isiah.  It’s independence – a chance to be a 10-year-old boy.  We’d see his friends, and I’d just keep thinking, please don’t go for the bikes, because Isiah couldn’t ride a bike.  

And Isiah would say that it was fine and that he didn’t care, but I knew he cared.  His whole face would change when his friends went bike riding and he couldn’t and had to be pulled from behind on a wagon.  

But now, when the kids say “I wanna ride bikes,” Isiah can say, ‘I wanna ride bikes too!’”

Highlights from the Presentation:

• 81 adaptive bikes were distributed to children from a ten-county region in Western Pa.
• 220 adaptive bikes (i.e. $400,000) were sponsored by Christmas of 2012, which was incredible since Variety’s “My Bike” Program kicked off only a few weeks earlier on Nov. 5, 2012.

Kelly Frey, WTAE Channel 4 News Anchor, also spoke at the presentation.

“As a mother, I see you all on your bikes, and I just leap for joy… We’ve all spent a lot of time in the hospital together and in the institutes and therapy, but this is what it’s all about.

As a parent, there is no greater feeling than watching your child get on a bike and ride.  I want to hear your hoopering and hollering all around your neighborhoods on these bikes.”