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| Nine-year-old Brendan McDaniel, center, with his siblings (from left) Jordan, 11, Sage, 7, and Emmett, 3. Last October Brendan had brain surgery to treat a rare condition called Rasmussen encephalitis. His mother, Joy McDaniel, learned about the Bike for Kids Idaho program from physical therapist Lisa Hamilton, and Brendan is one of the children who will be receiving an adapted bicycle that will allow him to ride with his family. |
Mickelsen's son, Isaac, has spinal bifida, which limited what he could do with the family until they discovered they could receive and adapted bicycle from the Children With Disabilities Foundation.
"Before these adapting bikes, they'd just sit on the grass and watch the other kids have fun," she saiid. Seeing what a difference the new bike made in their son's life, Mickelsen and her husband, Scott, developed the Bike for Kids Idaho program, now in its fifth year in Idaho Falls.
If you want to ride Saturday, you can help give an Idaho kid with special needs a bike. This Saturday, the community fund-raiser will start att 6:30 a.m. Proceeds will provide new adapted bikes for special needs children all over the state of Idaho.
The event features a 100-mile century bike ride, as well as 65-, 50-, 25- and 15-mile rides and two family rides over two- and four-mile courses. All rides start and end under the large tent at 1100 Pier View Drive in Snake River Landing. The first riders depart at 6:30 a.m.
In five years, they have been able to buy 26 special needs bikes, ranging in price from $300 to $1,600. After Saturday's event, Mickelsen said she hopes to have enough to buy ten more.
Saturday's event will include a short recipient parade prior to the family rides, where participants and sponsors can cheer on the children who have received bicycles. Following the bike rides, lunch is provided for all riders and their families. Children are welcome to participate in a small carnival featuring games and activities.
Sponsors for the event include: Snake River Landing, Giant Bicycles, Bill's Bike Shop, Dave's Bike Shop, Volm Bag Co., I-PAK, IF Rentals, Rigby Produce, Apple Athletic's Ride Across America Participants, Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, EIRMC, CH2*WG, RistaPrints, The Post Register, Coca-Cola, Bingham Mechanical, Personal Best Performance, Nelson Electric, Taylor P.T, Rocky Mountain Artificial Limb and Brace, Home Depot, Newman Farms, Dad's Travel Center, Basic American Foods, Aspen Home Health, Albertson's and Mobley P.T.
The organizers welcome additional support and participation from the community. For more information on Bike For Kids, call Kristy Mickelsen at 208-680-9397 or email kristy@bikeforkidsidaho.com. Event details and registration information can be found at www.bikeforkidsidaho.com.
