FALMOUTH, Maine — A bicycle camp that has helped dozens of Mainers with special needs gain independence is facing an uncertain future.
The weeklong iCan Bike Portland camp for people 8 years old and older will take place next month at the Casco Bay Arena in Falmouth, but after the event lost its corporate sponsor, the nonprofit needed financial help to keep it rolling to meet rising demand in the future.
Ben Hertz loves biking around his tree-lined neighborhood in Topsham.
"It's just something fun," Ben said with a smile.
It's a milestone Ben worked on for years, starting with a tricycle and moving on to training wheels.
"He was always very wobbly," Ben's mom, Cathy, explained. "He didn't have a lot of confidence. He was always afraid of falling."
The 15-year-old has autism, anxiety, developmental coordination, and sensory processing disorders. He has made incredible progress over the years, thanks to early intervention. But riding a two-wheeled bike like his friends was still out of reach.
"I was nervous about getting on a bike with no training wheels," Ben said.
Those barriers fell away at iCan Bike Portland.
Developed by the nonprofit iCan Shine, over 20,000 people with disabilities have learned to ride worldwide.
During the weeklong camp, riders begin with different-sized rollers in place of a back tire. After mastering that step, riders practice pedaling and turning skills on a tandem bike, then practice their balance with a grab-bar for support.
"By day three, he was riding. It was amazing. It has built up a lot of confidence for him and given me hope that he could drive one day," Cathy enthused.
This year's camp begins July 8 at Casco Bay Arena and is open to 40 participants.
Betsy Cyr, a pediatric occupational therapist, runs the camp with an army of volunteers. She said putting on the camp this year has been challenging after losing a $5,000 corporate sponsorship. Volunteers have been scrambling to raise money, and nearly a dozen families have also applied for financial help to cover the camp's $225 fee.
"That's lost revenues that I usually put towards camp, but I would rather provide those scholarships and kids riding than withhold from families with a strong need," Cyr explained.
Donations go toward shipping the specialized adaptive equipment from out of state and renting the arena.
The hope is a business or nonprofit will step forward to sponsor the camp for the next several years. On average, 80 percent of participants learn how to ride independently and other skills.
For Ben, learning this skill has been nothing less than a life-changing experience.
"Since then, I have been pretty good at it," Ben said with a smile.
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