Calgary kids with special needs get new wheels

More than50 children with disabilities were given new bikes on Saturday as part of the Calgary Cerebral Palsy Association's 12th annual Adaptive Bike Clinic.

Calgary-area families were provided with bicycles specially adapted to the needs of their children.

Valerie Sorensen's 7-year-old daughter Kate, who normally has trouble controlling her neck and body, was handed a bright blue bike.

"It's remarkable. She's biking herself down the hallway,"Sorensen said.

"There's nothing that she can really do on her own. You can tell by her face that she's so proud of herself."

Sorensen said the bike allows Kate to feel more "like a typical child."

"She sees my son and my other daughter ride their bikes, and this lets her be at more of a par with her typical siblings."

At $4,000, Kate's bike would be too expensive for her family to buy.

But all the bikes handed out Saturday were paid for by the Calgary Cerebral Palsy Association through fundraising.

Sharalee Stelter, who works with the association, said each bike is adapted for an individual child.

They're fitted with back supports, side wheels and have continuous drive.

"I think kids in the neighbourhood, when they see a child who typically is in a wheelchair and they see them riding a bike, it's absolutely amazing," Stelter said.

"They're amazed that they can do it. It just gives a whole different level of self-confidence to the kids that are riding the bikes."

Stelter said the bill for this year's bike clinic will run between $40,000 and $50,000.

Demand for the bikes is so high that the Cerebral Palsy Association has a waiting list.

The association plans to continue fundraising so it can get all of the children on the listoutfitted with new bikes.