Today in Southeast Portland there will be a special graduation ceremony.
For the last four days a group called Lose the Training Wheels has been holding a camp to teach 35 physically challenged kids how to ride a bike.
Kris Schamp of the Bike Gallery was there as a sponsor and a volunteer and sent in these great photos (thanks Kris!).
The group that puts on the camp maintains a fleet of specially modified rigs to get the kids rolling. Check out the neat tandem (below) and look at those tires!
It looks like a very inspiring group of kids and a great program. Congratulations to all the graduates!
Thanks for covering this story, I saw it on the TV news last night. Kids come from around the country to learn how to bicycle. It’s great the local cycling community strives to leave no one behind. Portland Bike Community Rocks & Rolls (so to speak).
Jonathan, thank you for this story. What a great program.
When I was a teenager, a mom across the street asked if I thought I could teach her 11 year old daughter who had mental retardation to ride a bike on her own (her bike had training wheels). The daughter really wanted to, but her parents didn’t think she could.
Well, I did and she could. It was a rite of passage for her – she was like the other kids on our street.
Bravo to the staff, volunteers and kids in this program.
Wow, what a great program! Somewhat nominate Kris Schamp and the other volunteers for an Alice Award!
Just swanted to relay a story from a coworker of mine…he has a daughter who is now 27 and has Cerebal Palsy, although she is not mentally retarded, she didn’t have the muscle control to learn leaning etc. on a “normal” bike, even with training wheels. She went to this camp and in a total of 4 hours over 2 days is riding on her own and in fact her understandably proud father and her were going shopping for and new “normal” bike this weekend! Kudos to the camp and campers !!!