Tag: Impact
Three-Thousand Reasons to Smile
BIKE #3,000 given to Jude on PITTSBURGH TODAY LIVE!
There was a lot to celebrate last Thursday, as we presented adaptive bike #3,000 to JUDE & #3,001 to PAISLEY, and hit one historic milestone for the My Bike® Program!
Even more special, we got to present the history-making bikes alongside our My Bike founding sponsor, Highmark and our incredible mobility partners, Blackburn’s – both of whom have been instrumental to our impact!
Paisley’s joy was a stand-out as she “honked” along riding her new bike for the first time, and you can watch the short video by clicking here.
When Variety kicked off My Bike in 2012, we hoped to sponsor 100 adaptive bikes, so it means the world that we have now surpassed 3,000 bikes (worth more than $5.5 million) thanks to the ongoing support of so many!
Don’t miss enjoying ALL the joy and impact from Thursday:
- Pittsburgh Today Live highlights official presentation of Bike #3,000 to Jude LIVE
- KDKA and KidsBurgh – presenting Bikes #3,000 and #3,001 and reach historic milestone
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Goodness section) – Children take spin on bikes no. 3,000 & 3,001
Now, there are 3,001 Reasons to Smile!
But, receiving an adaptive bike is only the beginning…
After receiving his new bike, Jude’s mom, Megan kindly sent us the above photo and a beautiful message of joy, “Just wanted to share a picture of Jude on his first ride in the neighborhood with his brothers!”
A Decade of Riding Adaptive Bikes in the Labor Day Parade!
Baseball Nights at Washington Wild Things & Altoona Curve
A “Peak Moment” Experience at the Washington Wild Things
Tuesday, June 23rd was an evening full of peak moments for 3 Variety kids and their families who got to spend the night together at the Washington Wild Things Game! Julia and her sister, Jillian even got to throw out the First Pitch to kickoff the game, and they were extraordinary!
After the game, Julia’s mom shared, “We had a blast at the game! I think I’ve shown everyone we know Julia’s first pitch video. Her therapists absolutely loved seeing it, then Julia would begin therapy with the biggest smile from listening & seeing herself throw again. I can’t thank you all enough for this experience!”
Mason’s mom also shared a message of joy, saying, “Mason had an incredible time at the game, and it was truly a memorable evening for our entire family. Your generosity provided us with a much-needed and enjoyable outing. We are deeply grateful for your kindness and the positive impact you have on our lives.”
Altoona Curve Hosts Presentation & Experience
In partnership with the Altoona Curve, we presented 9 adaptive bikes and 4 adaptive strollers at last night’s Altoona Curve game, and it was spectacular!
Bailey received her new pink adaptive bike, and her mom, Katherine explained, “With an adaptive bike of her own, Baylee will finally be able to go out and ride bikes with all of us! She can be like her big brother and sister without having to wonder why she’s the only one not riding a bike. This will bring our family closer together!”
Don’t miss reading and watching this media coverage that will surely make you smile:
Read Altoona Mirror’s article at https://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2024/08/sweet-ride
Watch all the joy that was captured by WTAJ-TV at https://www.wtaj.com/news/local-news/adaptive-equipment-presented-to-9-central-pennsylvania-kids-with-disabilities/
Bogey, Birdie, Par, Putt – FOUR!
Beaver County Young Lawyer’s Golf Outing: June 14, 2024
This was the 10th Year that the Beaver County Young Lawyers sponsored equipment for Beaver County kids from their annual golf outing, and we are SO grateful for their ongoing support!
Khloe received her new adaptive bike, and her mom, Brittany shared why the equipment means so much, “I imagine it’s not easy to grow up in a world that’s not adapted to your needs. I also imagine, even though she can’t talk, Khloe feels left out when other kids around her are doing ‘kid things’ like riding bikes.
With her disability she does not understand or have the capability to ride a traditional bike, but every child should have a bike, disabled or not. With Khloe’s new adaptive bike, it will let her have the opportunity to simply be a kid and ride bikes. We love to go on family outings and now Khloe will have a bike to ride alongside her sister, and Khloe can be one of the kids!”
Since 2014, BCYL have sponsored 22 pieces of equipment, including 19 adaptive bikes, 2 communication devices, and 1 stroller (worth nearly $40,000 in equipment).
Mason’s Movement Golf Outing: May 11, 2024
Since 2020, we’ve been fortunate to partner with the Mason’s Movement Foundation, and this year, we got to present an adaptive bike at their annual golf outing!!
Everyone celebrated Ronnie, who received his new adaptive bike at the event, and his dad, Michael explained his hope with the equipment, “This adaptive bike will help strengthen his legs, help him get outside and handout with his friends, help him appropriately use his arms and legs. This special bike gives us fun ways to spend time together as a family on the bike trails, so we’re very excited!”
We’re so grateful for everything Mason’s Movement does to help those in need, and we hope you’ll take a moment to learn more about their work here.
Variety’s 2024 Golf Outing & Clay Shoot Event: June 3, 2024
Variety’s 2024 event was a big success, and we couldn’t have done it without the generosity and participation of so many incredible partners (see all our 2024 sponsors here)! A special thanks to Ron Lewis Automotive for sponsoring another bike at our reception!!
Save-the-date for next year’s event on June 2, 2025 at Longue Vue Club!
More Memories for Sawyer
Sawyer’s new adaptive stroller means MORE MEMORIES, as his mom, Shayna shared with us,
“Having an adaptive stroller for my son means being able to make more memories by going to more places! It means not worrying about walking too far or too long before my son gets too tired to walk. He is growing out of his regular toddler stroller and has exceeded the weight limit. My son loves to get out and explore new places, and this stroller will be the most ideal and comfortable thing for him!”
BONUS PHOTO of Sawyer’s bike fitting (the last step before ordering the equipment), where it’s easy to see how much he loved testing out an adaptive bike!
“That just makes my heart leap!”
Last Tuesday, we had a conversation with Wren, mother of 5-year-old Bjorn (pictured below), who received his own communication device from Variety in February… and we simply can’t stop talking about it!
Wren explained all the ways that having a communication device has truly changed her son’s life, and her own, by saying,
“Since receiving the communication device, Bjorn has gone from being a completely non-speaking child, to using his device to communicate with everyone, and it has been the most beautiful transformation to watch!!
Now, Bjorn is SO HAPPY because the device is easy for him to use and he gets his points across… he requests things, identifies things, picks his clothes out every morning, and even says what he wants to do next…
He’ll use his device to say, ‘Going to grammy’s house!’ with a smile.
Bjorn put his own picture in there and loves introducing himself to others – the device has been like a miracle.
I can’t wait to see where the device takes him because now, he has no more limitations.
Bjorn talks to me in the car with his device, and since receiving it, our relationship is so much closer now that we can communicate and that just makes my heart leap.
He’s in preschool and starting Kindergarten next fall, and through his device, he shows us that he knows so much! He knows his shapes, numbers, and places, and he loves that it’s speaking the words for him.
Bjorn takes ownership of the device, and he takes it everywhere he goes. His confidence is truly soaring because of the communication device.”
Program Updates & Some Good News!
We’re thrilled to share our updated program handout and program application for 2023 that include increased income guidelines!
I hope you’ll share these with families, peers, and others in your network/community that may benefit from our mobility and communication programs (or know someone else that can).
Our programs are truly impacting kids, like Zeke and Joanna, who are all smiles below on their new adaptive bikes!
Zeke is ready to ride on his new adaptive bike (above), and prior to receiving it, his mom, Katherine told us,
“Zeke would love to have more ways to play with other kids and do more ‘regular stuff’ (as he says). He often chooses to sit out because he feels he won’t keep up. Being able to join in with bikes in the alley in a way he can do would be amazing.
His balance, endurance, strength, and coordination would make a standard bike extremely challenging, but an adaptive bike would be a great option for him. Zeke’s adaptive stroller has let us do SO much more in the community and has really eased medical appointments – we’re excited to see how he will grow from having a bike!”
Smile along with Joanna and her family (below)!
Before receiving her new set-of-wheels, Joanna’s parents, Julia and Jason shared how much this new bike means, by saying,
“Joanna has an older brother and two younger sisters. Her sisters are learning how to ride independently, and she wants to be able to ride with them. We’ve tried several different tricycles, but haven’t found one that works efficiently for her. An adaptive bike that is fitted just for her will not only help her continue to gain strength but also confidence and independence, while joining her siblings in an activity that they love.”
Both bikes for Zeke and Joanna were generously sponsored via funds raised by Al’s Bike Drive, which sponsored 10 bikes altogether!!
Jaylen & Matthew Got Back Independence
With their own adaptive bikes, Jaylen and Matthew got back some independence!
Jaylen is all smiles above on her new PINK adaptive bike, and her mom, Christina put into words what it means,
“For my daughter to receive an adaptive bike means she gets some of her independence back. Jaylen is almost 12 years old now, but when she was 4, she was in a terrible car accident in which she suffered brain damage.
Jaylen never got the chance to learn how to ride a bike before her injury, and because of her injury, she is not able to operate a regular bike. So, an adaptive bike will be amazing for her!
We all have bikes in our home – me, her mother, her stepdad, and two brothers, so we can’t wait to all be able to ride bikes together as a family!”
Matthew is ready-to-ride his new RED adaptive bike above, but his mom, Shirley explained why it’s so important,
“Matthew has been working so hard since his surgery in 2019 to be able to do all the activities he was able to do before the surgery.
Before, he loved riding his bike on all the trails in our area, and he has been unable to do so since 2019. This special bike will hopefully give him the confidence and stability to enjoy bike riding again with us and his friends!”
As always, thank you all so much for being a part of the Variety community, where it’s truly ALL ABOUT THE KIDS!
Celebrating 10 Years of My Bike!
Today, we are celebrating TEN YEARS of Variety’s My Bike® Program, which officially kicked off on Monday, November 5, 2012 to simply provide adaptive bikes to kids with disabilities.
Through My Bike, kids who were being left out / excluded from this childhood milestone now get to experience the joy and freedom of riding a bike alongside siblings and friends.
Take a minute to experience the impact of an adaptive bike by watching Variety’s kids riding their bikes in the 2022 Labor Day Parade in Pittsburgh!
Since kicking off, we’ve presented more than 2,700 adaptive bikes (worth more than $4.8 million in equipment), which is a true testament to what can be achieved when we come together for the kids!
In celebration of this momentous anniversary, we have set a goal to sponsor another 100 adaptive bikes for 100 more kids.
If you have the means, I would grateful for your consideration to donate to My Bike today by giving online now or by mail with attached form.
It’s $1,800 to sponsor one bike for a child, but any amount makes a difference with nearly 150 applications are currently in-process for kids that need their own adaptive bike.
CBS National News Story Featuring My Voice
We reached another milestone last week with a CBS National News story that shined a spotlight on Variety’s My Voice® Program!
Please watch, share, and be inspired by this story broken into three parts:
- Part 1 – The Journey to My Voice Featuring Tyler: https://www.cbsnews.com/live/video/20220804184922-charity-gives-kids-a-voice-through-technology/#x
- Part 2 – My Voice Interview with KDKA’s Kristine Sorensen: https://www.cbsnews.com/live/video/20220804185255-expanding-the-my-voice-program-across-u-s/
- Part 3 – Interview with Sue, whose son, JJ received two communication devices through My Voice and myself: https://www.cbsnews.com/live/video/20220804174538-my-voice-program-trying-to-help-kids-in-need/#x
We are hopeful that this story will enable us to help even more kids in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as well as highlight that we’ve truly created a model that can be replicated throughout the nation (and even world).
A tremendous thanks to KDKA’s Kristine Sorensen, who not only made this extraordinary opportunity possible, but she also became a voice for the kids that still need a communication device.
My Voice is creating a life-changing impact for kids that are nonverbal (or have a communication disorder), and we’re so grateful for your support to make it happen!
Open Up for Some Good News!
Variety’s 2022 SPRING LIFE-CHANGING TOUR continues with nearly 40 more adaptive bikes and adaptive strollers being presented with Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit 16, AFSCME Council 13, Westmoreland Intermediate Unit 7, Clairview School, and Blackburn’s!
Don’t miss reading why this mobility equipment will truly change the lives of the kids and their families!
It was a big day for twin brothers, Judah and Silas (from Northumberland County), who received their new adaptive bikes, and their mom, Nicole told us why the bikes will make a big difference:
“For Judah, the combination of low coordination and anxiety make it difficult for him to join in on what most consider normal activities.
An adaptive bike will allow him to develop the coordination necessary to not only ride a bike, but to be able to participate in other activities and remove the anxiety and fear holding him back!”
Silas has fought every day to overcome challenges and difficulties from birth, and he still struggles with balance, coordination, and vision. He desperately wants to play with and partake in the same activities as his family, friends, and peers at school, but often struggles and becomes frustrated.
An adaptive bike will not only help improve his balance and coordination, but also his confidence – leading him to gain more independence and freedom!
Two bikes for two brothers – that’s something to make us all smile!
Delilah-Rose from Dauphin County is pictured above on her beautiful new pink adaptive bike, and her mom, Delaina shared:
“An adaptive bike will really help with my daughter’s coordination issues.
Also, she will be able to ride bikes with her cousins who are the same age without them asking me why can’t she play like them.
This bike will build her confidence in being to do something new and keep her self-esteem high because she can now do the same activities as the other children her age!”
Luke from Westmoreland County was beaming with joy on his new adaptive bike, and that night, Luke’s mom shared this beautiful message:
“Luke is beyond elated for his bike and has been talking about it for a couple weeks since we found out we were approved.
He got it today and the whole way home all I heard was, ‘Mommy where’s my blue bike,” and “Mommy I ride my blue bike.’
A huge thank you to the people who donate to Variety to make kids like Luke’s dreams come true, and turning our Luke’s dream of riding with his siblings and keeping up with them a reality.
He is always such a happy determined kiddo and this bike gives him the chance to keep fighting.”
Check out more from our presentation in Westmoreland County by reading this terrific news story by the Tribune Review (Greensburg)!