metro

Rites Of Sprina

Friendship Circle gives away bikes
to kids with special needs.

I

Stacy Gittleman

Contributing Writer

F

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16 April 9 • 2015

Jk

or a child, little can match
the feeling of freedom and
confidence more than that
first time they feel the wind rush
through their hair while riding a
bicycle. Thanks to the recent Michaela
Noam Kaplan Great Bike Giveaway, the
Friendship Circle of West Bloomfield
made sure that 144 children with a
range of disabilities across the nation,
including seven in Michigan, will have
this rite of spring.
In its fourth annual event, the
Friendship Circle teamed up with 10
corporate sponsors who design adap-
tive bicycles with the goal of delivering
hundreds of bicycles to children with
disabilities ranging from cerebral palsy
to autism spectrum disorder.
Families from cities like Tulsa,
Ariz., to Tampa, Fla., nominated their
children, created their own online
campaign to drum up votes and raise
additional dollars for more bicycles.
Included in the list of sponsors are
Freedom Concepts, Rifton, Buddy
Bike, Ambucs, Triaid, Flaghouse,
Mobo Cruisers and Strider Bikes.
Results of the online competition can
be found at www.friendshipcircle.org/
bikes/michaela.
Last year, through a worldwide
campaign that included 1.5 million
page views and 639,000 nominations
for 1,370 entrants, the Great Bicycle
Giveaway provided 108 children across
the U.S. with new, adaptive bicycles
tailor-made for riders with special
needs — bicycles that can cost hun-
dreds to thousands of dollars each.
One local winner from this year's
contest was Anders D. of Wixom.
Anders has autism and a mild form of
cerebral palsy that affects the stren
in his legs and hips. With his new
Mobo Cruiser, Anders will be able
to ride a bike that fits his needs both
physically and emotionally.
"A bicycle is a symbol of inclusion
and community, and the Friendship
Circle sets the gold standard when it
comes to making kids with disabilities
feel included:' said Gabriella Burman,
41, of Huntington Woods.
Burman and her husband, Adam
Kaplan, 41, had a child, Michaela. Five
years ago, she died of complications
from cerebral palsy. Her short life was

Brianna Bombrey of White Lake on
the bike she won

enriched when she received a bicycle
from the Friendship Circle. After
she passed away, the giveaway was
renamed in her memory.
Because each bicycle is custom
made and the companies serve a
smaller market than typical bicycle
manufacturers, costs can run up to
several thousand dollars.
To receive a bicycle, a child must
first get approval and recommenda-
tions from their therapist of what
bicycle will suit the child best. The
bicycles are customized with proper
head and chest supports, harnesses,
foot plates and Velcro strapping to
keep one safe while riding. Medical
insurance companies, however, do not
cover their very high cost, qualifying
these bikes as "recreational" rather
than "therapeutic:' according to the
Friendship Circle.
Burman said the cost of her daugh-
ter's Freedom Concept bicycle matched
the price of a used car but was "worth
every penny:'
"The bicycle gave Michaela access to
the rest of the community of bikers:'
Burman said. "It was therapeutic with-
out feeling like physical therapy and
allowed my daughter to work on her
hips and quad muscles while having
fun. She rode her bicycle up and down
the sidewalk in our neighborhood,
took her bicycle to the zoo and even
used it to ride around bases when she
played baseball. It was truly her vehicle
to inclusion:'

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