Learning to bike: Program needs students with disabilities, volunteers.
Plus, join a fungus hike, river cleanup or poker paddle on the St. Joe
Some young people with disabilities have a lot of trouble with the usual way of learning to ride a two-wheel bicycle.
Training wheels don’t work for them. Maybe they’re too tipsy. Or they keep falling.
So a new program is coming to South Bend that promises to get past those obstacles and teach folks from ages 8 to 30 to bike, using volunteers and an adaptive device that looks like a rolling pin.
Both students and volunteers are needed for the iCan Bike camp that will run from Aug. 3 to 7 at Stanley Clark School, 3123 Miami St. Monetary donations are welcome, too.
Camp Director Colleen New emphasizes that the program accepts students with any kind of disability, from anxiety to ADHD, along with intellectual and developmental disabilities like autism and Down syndrome.
She points that out since the nonprofit LOGAN is partnering in the local program with the South Bend Bike Garage.
“Our equipment keeps them from falling and makes them feel very safe,” New explains.
Each student will be paired up with two volunteer “spotters.” The student will ride a bike that’s stabilized in the rear by a heavy roller (that rolling pin thing), which rolls flat on the ground. It allows no wiggle back and forth, giving the bike a firm, confident feel.
“Feet are for going,” volunteers may encourage the student, New says. “Hands (on the brakes) are for stopping.”
Then, as the student gains comfort, volunteers will swap out the roller to one that’s more tapered so that there’s just a little side to side movement — a chance to work on balance.
One volunteer may run in front to encourage the student to keep their eyes forward. The second volunteer can grab a bar on the back of the bike to correct the bike, though only as needed.
Little by little, the student will gain stability until they can ride without assistance.
It starts with indoor practice in a gym and eventually moves outside, where they’ll ride their own bike.
The iCan Bike camp is a national program that brings the equipment and two staffers. To illustrate, there are several videos at the program’s website (linked here), which mostly are news stories from around the country.
Students can sign up anytime until the camp, but a camp T-shirt can only be guaranteed if they sign up by Monday, Aug. 13. The camp fee is $50 for the week.
Students must be ages 8 to 30, be able to walk without an assistive device (a cane, for example) and be able to step side to side, among other qualifying criteria. More details can be found in this link.
If you have any question about whether or not you or your young person would qualify, New says you can contact her (contacts below).
Volunteers must be at least 14 years old. It seems like volunteers would enjoy this if they bring a positive attitude, patience and a sense of humor. That’s just a bit of insight from my many years of volunteering with the local adaptive ski program SOLO (Special Outdoor Leisure Opportunities).
Programs like these develop skills that build more independence. They help the students to move toward more inclusion in the rest of their lives.
Donations of any size can help with simple things like water and snacks as well as lodging expenses for two visiting iCan Bike staffers.
New says the local organizers hope to make this an annual program, though it depends on how well attended this one is. To its credit, she adds, one student will come from well north into Michigan and another one from Bristol, Indiana.
To register, volunteer, donate or learn more, visit this program link. For questions about registration and participation, contact New at getinvolvedsbbikegarage@gmail.com or 574-400-6036.
Fungus and mycelium, oh my!
Learn about the “Miracles of Mycelium” — the fungus that helps trees to recycle nutrients in the soil — during a hike at Warren Woods State Park in Three Oaks, Michigan, at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 11. The Harbor Country Hikers will lead this hike of one to two miles for about two hours on a shaded route that follows the Galien River in an old-growth forest.
To reach the park from Three Oaks, drive north on Three Oaks Road, turn left on Elm Valley Road, and after 0.7 miles, look for the trailhead parking lot on the north (right) side.
Clean up the Elkhart River
Volunteers in boats and on land are welcome to help clean up the Elkhart River in Goshen, Indiana, on Friday, July 17. The City of Goshen and Goshen AmeriCorps are hosting this event from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., starting at Rogers Park and finishing at County Road 17.
Volunteers may paddle boats to gather trash from the water or riverbanks, or they can work on land to help at drop-off and pickup sites. Helpers will be fed donuts in the morning and lunch in the afternoon. Registration is required first at this link.
Canoe Kayak Poker Run on St. Joe River
Paddle a 5.5-mile poker run on the St. Joseph River on Sunday, July 19 to support the charity work of the Buchanan-Galien Lions Club.
Bring your own kayak or canoe, plus a life jacket. You’ll pick up one card each at seven stops along the river from Buchanan to Camp Betz in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
Prizes for the best of five cards include gift baskets, gift cards and wine. There will be a raffle, too, where $1 tickets get a chance at a $150 gift card to Four Winds Casino. A meal with hot dogs and potato salad will be served at the end at Camp Betz.
Everyone will start at 8:30 a.m. from the river launch at 15437 N. Redbud Trail, on the north side of Buchanan. Paddlers may drop their boat at the launch that morning, then drive their car to Camp Betz, where Lions volunteers will give paddlers a ride back to their boats.
Cost is $25 per person. Register via this link in advance or at the event.
Contact outdoor journalist Joseph Dits at josephdits@gmail.com.
Feel like you’re getting more than you’re paying for from Joe? Your one-time tip would be beyond your subscription. Any amount is deeply appreciated. You truly rock!