EAST MOLINE, Ill (KWQC) – iCan Shine and the Children’s Therapy Center of the Quad Cities have teamed up for 15 years to put on this bike camp.
iCan Shine is an international charitable non-profit that collabs with local organizations to host different programs.
The Children’s Therapy Center of the Quad Cities is the only local organization that puts the camp on.
“We are just so proud to be able to offer this to the community because nobody else does this around here,” said Chris VanSpeybroeck, Vice President of Development. “I think the closest camp is Peoria, and then Chicago and Milwaukee, so they are not not close by, and for us to be able to offer this to the community is a wonderful thing for us.”
iCan bike camp
is a five day long camp that teaches around 30 kids with disabilities how to ride a bicycle.
“Throughout the week, they make the bikes more wobbly, so that the rider has to learn that balance,” said VanSpeybroeck. “It’s kind of a gradual process, and they don’t realize they’re learning that balance throughout the week until the end of the week, where they’re on two wheels, riding on their own.”
The camp wouldn’t be possible without roughly 100 volunteers.
“It means a lot to me,” said Hassan Ali, a two year volunteer. “You know, like just being able to teach someone something new that they can cherish this summer next summer is really fun. Like just meeting the new people, individually, learning their like, what they’re good at and what they’re not, and just improving where they need help.”
“The lesson that they learn,” said VanSpeybroeck. “A lot of these are young people, and they’ve never worked with, you know, people with disabilities before, but you know, teaching them patience and compassion, all the important things that we need in this world right now. It’s wonderful for everyone.”
It’s wonderful for the parents as well who are touched to see the joy it brings their children.
“It’s been such a blessing,” said Onya Schlehuber, whose daughter is participating in the camp. “We didn’t know about this until this year, when she was at OT and we saw the flyer, and she’s like, Can I do it? I want to learn how to ride a bike, and so I’m like, sure. Let’s see what we have to do. It’s a great program for kids that have a little bit of disabilities or a lot more disabilities, to help them grow. She’s doing an amazing job.”
This camp may only be a week, but the memories for these kids will last a lifetime.
