He Needs Our Votes
Kings Park’s own Patrick, 7, was diagnosed with Autism at 18 months and is delayed in every area of development. He has recently shown interest in riding a bike but due to his low muscle tone and motor planning issues he is unable to pedal and steer a bicycle on his own. A buddy bike would allow him to experience riding a bicycle with his family. Patrick also has no awareness of danger and could not safely ride a bicycle if he could learn. The buddy bike would allow us the control over the bike so that we could protect him while en… Read Moreabling the joy of riding a bike! Please help us win the buddy bike for Patrick!
Right now there is a Facebook campaign where you can vote for Patrick to win his special bike. Click Here to vote for Patrick:
Patrick’s parents are grateful for everyone who takes the time to vote and for the outpouring of love they have been receiving. “We’ve been back and forth to Boston for speech testing and other treatment,” says Corine Patrick’s mother. Patrick is the oldest of three boys. Corine says the bike is so important for her Patrick for a number of reasons. “It is so important because Patrick can’t ride a typical bicycle, he has poor muscle tone and no awareness of danger and he couldn’t ride a bike around the neighborhood like other kids,” she explained.
She says he sees his brothers and wants to ride a bike, he tries to figure it out. “This would be allowing us to control it and he can pedal and control it also; we would have complete simple joy of bike riding,” said his mother. She says she just wants him to be able to do something that all kids are all able to do. “So many parents take for granted that their kids will grow up and ride a bike, unfortunately because of his autism he is unable to do that,” she concluded.
The family entered last year to no avail. The bikes are very expensive. “This company makes these bikes by hand, so that’s why it’s so important to win it, we can’t afford it,” she added. She says Patrick isn’t able to play with other children because he’s not verbal. He gets very frustrated. “We just want to expose him to everything we can,” says Corine. The extras are not covered by medical insurance. All the families money goes into his therapy. They are hopeful this year their boy will win the bike he so needs!
About Great Bike Giveaway
Do you remember the day you learned to ride a bike? Do you remember the freedom you felt, the confidence you gained, the pride you had?
Friendship Circle created the Michaela Noam Kaplan Great Bike Giveaway to give children with special needs the same feeling you had when that shiny new bike arrived at your house. At Friendship Circle we want to give adaptive bikes to as many special children as possible. Thankfully we found many willing partners who share the same values.
Freedom Concepts, Rifton, Buddy Bike, Ambucs, Triaid, Flaghouse, Mobo Cruisers and Strider Bikes are partnering with Friendship Circle to sponsor the Great Bike Giveaway. These companies are giving more than a bike. They are giving a child with special needs the same freedom, confidence and pride that you felt when you rode a bike for the very first time.
Please join us and our partners in sharing these special stories. View, share, enter and/or donate to the Great Bike Giveaway and be a part of a beautiful and special community!