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Admin

Victoria

March 11, 2015 By Admin

Victoria Hernandez

As a special education teacher at Northside High School Libby Campos has been played a significant role in the lives of her students.  She has done a great job for Pedaling for Kids in bringing to our attention children we can potentially help.  It is thru Libby that we know Victoria Hernandez.

17 year old Vicki Hernandez was born with cerebral palsy and is severely intellectually and physically disabled.  Libby reports she is very pleasant and happy in school and is anxious to take part in class activities.  She communicates her needs by pointing at items and pictures.

At Libby’s suggestion, Pedaling for Kids purchased an iPad for Vicki.  Libby continued to be the wonderful teacher by following through and downloading the iPad applications Vicki needed to communicate more easily and effectively.

Photos:

Victoria with PFK Board and riders

 

 

 

 

 

 

Presentation for Victoria, left to right:  PFK Across-the-State cyclist Joie Musselman, PFK Board member Mike Campos, PFK Application Chairman Erin Golden, PFK Board members Chester Fort and Jay Parker, Victoria and her mother Maria, and Victoria’s teacher Libby Campos

 

Victoria and Mom

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victoria and mom Maria

Filed Under: Our Kids

Nellie Carroll

March 11, 2015 By Admin

Nellie Carroll

Nellie Carroll, age 7, has been wheelchair bound her entire life due to spina bifida. We first heard of Nellie from Board of Director member Chester Fort.  Through Chester’s work at MeadWestvaco he has contact with Nellie’s father.

Even after multiple operations, Nellie remains completely wheelchair bound.  Despite this fact, she is one of the cutest and most positive kids we have ever seen.  Chester Fort heard the father discuss a product called a “stander”.  And the “stander” does just that:  the child is strapped into the device and she is held in and supported by the device while standing.  The “stander” has wheels and allows the person to use it to not only stand, but to also be mobile while standing.  The “stander” can actually be thought of as functioning like a standing wheelchair.

Pedaling for Kids purchased the stander for her and we have now presented it to Nellie and her family.  Nellie had absolutely no problems in adjusting to it and she absolutely loves it.  Can you imagine being able to stand for the first time in your life?  Wow – it’s incredible.  What a blessing and a privilege to help such a sweet child and family.

Photos:

 

Nellie at Presentation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nellie and family at presentation.  Front row, left to right:  PFK Board members Chester Fort and Rhonda Eysel, Nellie, her mother Valerie and sister Joanna.  Back row, left to right:  PFK Across-the-state cyclists CJ Baker and Jackie Aasand, PFK Board member Jay Parker, Nellie’s father Daniel, Nellie’s brother  Nate and sister Rebekah

Nellie in Stander 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nellie with new stander

Filed Under: Our Kids

Patrick

March 11, 2015 By Admin

Patrick Loncher

16 year old Patrick Loncher now loves cycling!  Born with Angelman’s Syndrome, Patrick has limitations that prevent him from cycling on his own.  However Patrick’s father Kevin was determined to get he and Patrick riding.  After a chance meeting between Kevin and Dr. Jack Sherrer, Dr. Sherrer suggested Pedaling for Kids get involved and help provide a suitable and safe bicycle.

The result was the purchase of a tandem recumbent bicycle that both Kevin and Patrick ride together.  Ways were devised to keep Patrick’s hands on the steering wheel and his feet on the pedals and Kevin reports Patrick absolutely loves being out-of-doors and cycling.  The bicycle not only provides an important new and stimulating social interaction between Patrick and his family, but it provides much needed physical activity and exercise for the still-growing teenager!

 

Photos:

Patrick receives Bike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin and Patrick sit on the new bicycle for the first time at the presentation.

 

Luancher Family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Loncher family:  dad Kevin, sister Elizabeth, Patrick, and mom Kim

 

Patrick and sister

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sister Elizabeth and Patrick on his new bicycle

 

 

Patrick on Bike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dad and Patrick on the road!

Filed Under: Our Kids

The 2014 ATS: Another Successful Trip!

November 9, 2014 By Admin

 

The 2014 Pedaling for Kids Across-the-State (ATS) trip was another story for the ages – full of great adventure, tests of persistence and endurance, and again lots of fun times and laughter from start to finish. The group committed early to training in the months leading up to the trip and when the weekend arrived, the PFK peloton was in shape and ready.

This was the third successful trip across Georgia for Jay Parker, Rhonda Eysel, high school junior and triathlete Reames Clark, and Jack Sherrer. Veteran cyclist Mike Moore served as Road Captain and pulled the peloton from the front the majority of the 250-plus miles. Chester Fort was our other veteran whose strong riding and enthusiasm continued to motivate and encourage the group.

The trip was again started off right with Dr. Jimmy Elder of First Baptist Church praying for us in our classic meeting place in the parking lot of the Macon Road K-Mart. What a great way to start off our ride every year; Dr. Elder’s presence has become one of the traditions we look forward to and depend on with each ATS. And the prayers again helped us; we had only two small mishaps and all three riders were back up and continued cycling.

The new riders this year were fantastic. They had all ridden with the peloton for months and had learned how to work and cycle safely together. Mike Campos, CJ Baker, Jackie Aasand, Erin Golden, Tripp Blankenship, Joie Musselman, Lori Hughes, Tonya Mitchum, and Craig Boaz – in addition to Mike Moore and Chester Fort – were all successful in their first attempt at the ATS.

The across-the-state riders stuck with the same route planned out by veteran rider and PFK-loyalist Kenny Hall three years ago. We again launched from Robinson Farms in Marion County and finished the first – and the most difficult – of the three days in Hawkinsville. Jay “Hawkeye” Parker and wife Katie were in charge of our parking lot cookout our first night and it was a blast. They served great chips, dips, burgers, dogs and drinks. Entertainment that night included a skit by actresses Lori Hughes and Katie Parker about the washing of bike garments and a missing pair of underwear. It was absolutely hilarious. We were sure that the cookout in the parking lot was the first cookout of its kind ever  held in the Hawkinsville Best Western’s parking lot. We just hope they let us make future reservations with them…

Saturday carried us out of Hawkinsville and two-thirds across the state to Vidalia. We were fortunate to have had good weather and favorable winds for the most part. We again stayed in our dependable Hampton Inn in Vidalia. We had dinner at J&B’s Rare2Welldone Steakhouse and we could not have been treated better. Owner Belinda Lacklin made sure we had great service and our own “corral” and even made a sizeable donation to the Pedaling for Kids charity before we left. Thanks Belinda for everything!   The highlight of the night was the winning of crystal awards by both Rhonda Eysel and Jay Parker as the highest money-raisers for the ride – both for the second year in a row.

The third day is usually our most fun day and this year was no exception. The day is not only fun because we are closing in on our goal of making it across the state, but the cycling is easier: the terrain is more flat and we generally have a tailwind. The peloton this year often hit and maintained speeds in the low-20 mph range during parts of the day. This year the ATS Ride Honoree was Lori Hughes. Husband Scott had given her her first road bike the previous Christmas and she had committed to getting in shape and had prepared all season for the trip. There was no question we all wanted her as our honored ride leader.

We were again met at the city limits of Savannah by Savannah police officers and received an escort all the way to our hotel. As has become our tradition our Ride Honoree leads the peloton behind the police car into the city to the cheers of millions of Savannah residents. Although Lori was absolutely up to the task she initially didn’t realize the escort was 16 miles, so had to eventually slow the pace so she and the peloton could survive the escort! It was again a tremendously great feeling to pull in to Riverstreet and hear the thunderous roar of the crowd, the snapping of photographs, and the popping of champagne corks.

This year we stayed at The Mansion at Forsythe Park and the accommodations were fantastic. We had drinks and hors d’oeuvres in the Mansion’s bar before being chauffeured to Fiddlers         for dinner.

A special thanks to our massage therapist Alicia Blackwell of Waverly Hall. She helped keep our aching bodies on our bikes the entire trip.

And thanks to our wonderful and patient SAGs: Loretta Fort and Carrie Blankenship and to SAG Leader and Photographer Extraordinaire Katie Parker – all of whom kept us from getting run over for three days. We love you!

Thanks to everyone for the super-successful 2014 ATS. There are just too many funny things and great memories to list here … but thanks. Thanks to each of you for making it so great.

We had not arrived in Savannah for more than an hour before we had already begun to plan and to look forward to next year’s 2015 ATS ride!

Filed Under: News

Ty

June 17, 2014 By Admin

Ty Kingery

We first learned about Ty from one of our long-term friends Libby Campos.  Libby is a special-education teacher at Northside High School here in Columbus, Georgia and Ty was one of her students.  She had applied for help previously for other students in her class but was unsure if we could help Ty and his parents.  She wanted to let us know Ty’s mom Amy had embarked on a fund-raiser to hopefully raise enough money to purchase a wheelchair-accessible van for Ty but Libby knew we were still a relatively new charity and were limited in funds.  Nonetheless, Libby – never  quit or give up on a challenge – wanted Pedaling for Kids to know about Ty.

Ty was a typical healthy child until the age of 10.  He was a gregarious, hard-charging, always-smiling kid who loved sports.  He especially loved soccer.  But then something happened.  Something just wasn’t right.  After months of testing doctors informed Amy that Ty had Juvenile Huntington’s Chorea.  Huntington’s Chorea (HC) is a neurodegenerative genetic disease that is quite rare – occurring in only 7 of 100,000 people.  HC typically manifests its symptoms in middle-aged adults between the ages of 35 -45 years of age.  Huntington’s is a devastating disease with no cure.  Those with HC end up with very rigid spastic movements, are wheelchair bound, and need full-time care.  The life expectancy in those diagnosed with HC averages 20 years from the time of diagnosis.  Juvenile Huntington’s Chorea is even more rare than the typical HC; only 6 percent of HC occur before the age of 21.  Juvenile HC has a more rapidly progressive deterioration than the Huntington’s starting in middle age.

Ty’s mother and stepfather Scott contacted Ty’s biological father after Ty was diagnosed with Juvenile Huntington’s to give him the terrible news.  Ironically, Ty’s biological father had just been diagnosed with the adult form.

We first met Ty and his family in January of 2014.  Ty was now 17 years old and his Juvenile Huntington’s had already taken a devastating toll on him.  He was wheelchair-bound and had a gastric feeding tube in place because of his inability to swallow.  Although 5 feet tall, Ty weighed only 90 pounds.  His mother Amy had long since put her career as a respiratory therapist on hold to care for Ty full-time.  Libby wanted us to make sure we met Ty and his family; she told us we wouldn’t believe how positive and wonderful they were.  And she was absolutely right.

Our Board of Directors met immediately to see if we could help.  Our community interaction up to that point had certainly been on a smaller scale financially.  Scott, Amy, Ty and his younger brother Robert were meeting with our Board in less than a week – and we were blown away.  We were not only amazed and inspired by their love and commitment to each other, but were moved by their ability to find positivity in all they encountered.  Amy, weighing only 130 pounds herself, was struggling in transporting Ty.  She not only had to fold Ty’s wheelchair to put it in their present vehicle, but she also had to physically lift Ty to put him in a car seat.  It was not only difficult for Amy to get Ty into a car seat and secure him, but the entire process was a very painful one for Ty as he had become very rigid with the disease progression.  It had become so painful to get Ty out of his wheelchair for the ride that Amy had taken on the project of raising money for a wheelchair-accessible conversion van on her own.

After our meeting with Ty and his family, our Board promptly voted unanimously to participate.  We decided – with Scott and Amy’s consent – Pedaling for Kids would spend a larger amount of money in order to secure a newer, lower-mileage van.   Although the amount to be spent was by far our largest commitment to date, we felt our donors and supporters would wholeheartedly approve how their money was allocated.

Within two weeks Ty and family had a beautiful, low mileage van that allowed Amy to load Ty – while still in his wheelchair – into the conversion van via the back door of the van.  No more painful rides for Ty!  And no more lifting and risking injury for Amy…

 

Photos:

Ty Kingery
Ty Gingery – always happy and positive!

 

Ty and Robert
Ty with brother Robert, ages 10 and 3 in 2006. Ty was diagnosed with Huntington’s in December of that year.

 

Ty’s new van!
Ty’s new van!

 

Ty’s van was retrofitted with a ramp!
Ty’s van was retrofitted with a ramp!

 

Van with plenty of room for Ty and his chair
Van with plenty of room for Ty and his chair

 

Ty and his family ready for their first ride!
Ty and his family ready for their first ride!

 

 

L to R: Board of Director members Jay Parker and Rhonda Eysel, mom Amy, Ty, brother Robert, dad Scott, and PFK Ride Chairman Tom Flournoy

 

Very sadly, we lost Ty March 4, 2014.  This incredible family however never ceased to be thankful and positive.  And thru the loss, it was Amy and Scott who reminded the rest of their family and friends to rejoice in the happiness that Ty brought to them and to everyone else with whom Ty had ever met…

Filed Under: Our Kids

Will

October 9, 2013 By Admin

Will

Will is one special guy. We found out about Will last year when school administrators felt he couldn’t stay in regular classrooms. Will was born with Nager Syndrome and one of the issues he has had to deal with since birth is the absence of thumbs. And now he could not keep up in the classroom because he was being slowed down too much by not having the full, rapid use of all ten fingers.

We at Pedaling for Kids are thankful we were able to provide Will an iPad. Once again, our trusted friend and consultant Susan Elder, evaluated Will and the situation and chose the perfect iPad applications to help him. Not only is Will doing great in school, but his essay “Laws of Life” was recently chosen as one of the top essays in the entire school system! As an even greater honor, Will was then asked to read it to the Muscogee County School Board. Here is part of an email one of our Board Members, Rhonda Eysel, sent me when she heard the news about Will’s recent honor. Her words could not summarize better all of our feelings about Will:

“I’m so touched and moved by his bright spirit and willingness to persevere despite how many odds are stacked against him. What a blessing he is and I have to believe God is using him in ways one can only imagine. And he wrote it on the iPad PFK gave him!”

To better share the spirit of Will we have included a special section committed just to him. I encourage everyone to first read his essay on PowerPoint, then watch the video of Will’s presentation to the School Board. Will is one special guy.

image of Will Johnson
Will
Presentation of iPad to Will, L to R: Susan Elder, Steve Denham, Will, Board Member Rhonda Eysel, Will’s pastor Dr. Jimmy Elder, Lori Denham
Presentation of iPad to Will, L to R: Susan Elder, Steve Denham, Will, Board Member Rhonda Eysel, Will’s pastor Dr. Jimmy Elder, Lori Denham
Our PFK tech consultant Susan Elder and Will
Our PFK tech consultant Susan Elder and Will
Will at work on his iPad at home
Will at work on his iPad at home
A happy and excited Will heads to school dressed for Halloween!
A happy and excited Will heads to school dressed for Halloween!

Filed Under: Our Kids

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