Civitans to offer tricycle giveaway for disabled youth

Published 5:29 pm Tuesday, March 28, 2017

The Camellia City Civitans are looking for a deserving child with disabilities to receive a “dream ride” especially tailored to meet their needs.

Amtrykes are special tricycles that would meet any physical need that the child has,” explained Justin Pierce, immediate past president of the Greenville civic organization. “Whether they require straps on the handlebars so their hands don’t slip off, or straps on the foot pedals to keep their feet in place or other needs, Amtryke can create the right tricycle for that particular child.”

The disabled-friendly trikes, which offer a plethora of potential adaptive accessories, offer the children all the traditional benefits of cycling, including mobility, exercise, coordination, strength building and socialization with friends and family.

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“We’ve been involved in the project for eight or nine years now. But haven’t given out a trike every year since we have had difficulty  some years finding a local child who is in need. And we like to keep it local,” Pierce said.

“We have had a couple of people contact us via a Facebook post, but we are reaching out through other media as well. We may not be able to give a bike to every deserving individual from Butler County this year, but this is ongoing and we are already looking ahead to next year.”

According to Pierce, candidates selected to receive the Amtrykes will need to travel to Montgomery to be fitted for their custom rides. The special trike will then be presented to the child and his/her family at a future Camellia City Civitans Club meeting. Pierce said the local group purchases the trikes through the Montgomery River Region Friends of AUMBUCS.

For more information or to nominate a deserving disabled child for their own custom dream ride, contact Marty Sexton, current Civitan president at (334) 210-0141 or Justin Pierce at (334) 437-4613.