A special event in Edmonton allowed children with disabilities to try out adaptive bicycles and handcycles tailored to their needs. Held on Saturday at the Goodwill Alberta location on 168 Street, the Try-A-Bike day is a key part of the You Can Ride 2 program, launched in 2003 by strategic director Janine Halayko.
Empowering Children Through Mobility
The initiative focuses on enabling kids with various disabilities to ride bikes for the first time, fostering a sense of freedom and independence. Emily Kim, the program manager, highlighted the event’s impact during the gathering. “We help kids with different disabilities ride bikes for the first time and just experience freedom and independence,” she said. Kim emphasized that every child deserves the milestone of learning to ride, describing it as a rite of passage that brings agency to participants.
Resources and Support for Families
The program maintains a collection of more than 200 adaptive bikes ready for use. Families can bring their own bikes for mechanic modifications as part of a six-week educational summer session. Volunteer mechanic Keith Heslinga explained how Halayko identified unused bikes in garages that could be repurposed for different young riders, amassing donations over the past two decades. His team now spends the winter fine-tuning bikes based on the needs assessed during events like this one. “It’s super gratifying. It’s amazing to watch the kids trying out bikes and take them and get some freedom,” Heslinga noted.
Real Stories of Transformation
Families like that of Lonnie Willier and his daughter Addelyn, who have participated for five years, illustrate the program’s benefits. “It gives her that freedom to go out, bike with other kids, exercise, just do more stuff outside,” Willier shared. He added that in recent years, he has had to jog to keep pace with her growing enthusiasm and mobility.
