Tag: My Bike
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/
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!
Joy Shines from Heather w/ New Bike
We were so grateful to share in Heather’s smile and joy, as she received her new adaptive bike! Even more so, Heather surprised us with a truly generous donation to sponsor a bike for another child through Giving the Gift of Sight!!
Her mom, Sarah shared what this bike means,
“My hope for this bike is to grow both Heather’s strength and confidence. She struggles with weak muscles in her legs and core, so providing her with a safe method of exercise will greatly benefit her.
I think the bike will not just help her overall health, but also make it easier for her to participate in different activities with family and friends. Even some of the activities she does now will be more enjoyable for her with the bike, such as gardening and making cheese (requiring extended periods of standing in one spot).”
Thanks to Variety’s My Bike® Program, Heather has can experience the joy, freedom, and inclusion through riding her own adaptive bike!
Charlie’s New Adaptive Bike!
Charlie’s joy was out of this world, as he tested out his new adaptive bike for the first time!
His mom, Robin shared what it means,
“This bike not only gives my son independence and confidence, it also helps him to build very important muscles that right now he has difficulty building.
Seeing Charlie on this bike is such a positive opportunity not just for him, but for our family!
He has been through so much for being such a young child and each day remains positive no matter the challenge. He is an inspiration!”
Thanks to Variety’s My Bike® Program, Charlie now has his own adaptive bike and a new-found freedom!
Variety at Little League World Series Parade!
On Monday night, three kids got to ride their adaptive bikes in the 17th Grand Slam Parade in Williamsport, PA to kick-off the Little League World Series!
It was a magical chance for the kids to participate, be celebrated, and simply, show their abilities to the world.
Several years ago, when we first expanded into the Williamsport region, former Governor Tom Corbett (Variety Board President) immediately had the idea for the kids to ride their adaptive bikes in the LLWS parade, but it was put on hold due to the pandemic.
This idea was fully realized alongside our partners at BLaST Intermediate Unit 17, who made it possible for us to participate in the parade.
Don’t miss this brief story from FOX-56 on what a milestone it is for the kids to be included: https://fox56.com/news/local/adaptive-bikes-bring-joy-and-inclusion-for-local-children-at-parade-highlighting-life-changing-initiative#
Next year, we hope even more kids can be included in the Grand Slam Parade on their bikes AND strollers.
A big thanks to Governor Corbett for making the journey out to Williamsport to participate with us and enjoy the celebration.
During the parade, we got to spend time with Michelle, whose daughter, Mikki received all 3 pieces of equipment from Variety (pictured above with Governor Corbett and myself).
Michelle explained that Mikki does so great in school with her communication device, but at home, Michelle doesn’t know how to use it with her.
As a result, Michelle still doesn’t know what Mikki wants, what she needs, what she’s thinking… When I asked her if a training would be beneficial to her to utilize the device at home, she immediately said yes.
We are hopeful we can be the catalyst for trainings for Michelle, and other families, who need more training to empower their child to communicate as fully as possible.
Big Smiles for Gia
Gia’s smile was a sight to see, as she tested out her new adaptive bike! It was her second after outgrowing her first bike, and Gia’s mom, Daria explained how important it is for her daughter, by saying,
“Gia was gifted her first bike in Kindergarten and she was thrilled. Her adaptive tricycle allowed her to not only exercise, but also actively participate with her sister.
At first she needed quite a bit of help steering and paying better attention, but she is gradually improving. Our hope is that she can learn to fully steer on her own and of course safely exercise as well.
We also believe when she is able to ride the bike completely on her own she will gain a tremendous amount of confidence that will hopefully spill over into other aspects of her life.”
At the presentation, Gia’s dad, Doug told us, “This bike is another form of exercise for her! We have a treadmill at home, but the bike is much more enjoyable for Gia (and fun). She outgrew her other adaptive bike right when she was getting the hang of steering it, so when we found out we could get a second one, we instantly applied!”
Family Experiences Are Now Possible
An adaptive stroller has an immediate impact for every family, and it’s amazing to hear how it opens up new worlds for kids and their families – like Matteo.
Last March, 8-year-old Matteo received his new adaptive stroller (after already receiving his new bike).
Well, his mom Marie joyfully shared an experience that the stroller made possible,
“Thanks to Matteo’s special stroller, we were able to take a trip to Niagara Falls!! We walked around Goat Island with no issues, and I can’t thank you enough for making this possible.”
Prior to receiving an adaptive stroller, Matteo and his family were greatly limited in what they could do, together. Matteo’s Occupational Therapist, Theresa explained,
“Matteo has a history of running from his parents while shopping and in parking lots, putting him at risk of injury. Because of this, his family avoids any recreational activities in more crowded places that they would otherwise like to enjoy together.
An adaptive stroller will significantly improve the family’s participation within their community by improving safety and mobility on family outing.”
You can’t fully see Matteo’s joy above, as he gazes towards Niagara Falls, but you can definitely see him smile in this short video – riding his adaptive bike alongside his family!
Variety Kids on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood!
With the greatest excitement, we wanted to share a recent episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood on PBS Kids – featuring Variety kids Sam, Emily, and Sadie riding their adaptive bikes, and Sadie’s sister, Hadley on her two-wheeled bike.
Fred Rogers certainly would have loved seeing kids with special needs being included and riding their adaptive bikes for “the world” to celebrate.
Sam, Emily, Sadie, and Hadley are featured at the 11-minute mark of the episode, and you can watch it now by clicking this link!
Being on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood creates a multitude of visibility – not only by educating others on an adaptive bike, but by showing the world what these extraordinary kids can do.
We hope you’ll take a minute to share the episode with your networks, especially to celebrate Sam, Emily, Sadie, and Hadley!
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!