Children's Charity Provides Adaptive Bikes For Kids With Disabilities

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Adaptive bicycles and strollers fill the bike rack at the Pioneer Education Center in Brookline.

On Wednesday morning, 15 more children and their families waited in a multi-purpose room to get adaptive bikes and strollers of their own.

Charlie Lavalle, of Variety, the Children's Charity, brought adaptive equipment to present to children with disabilities. They're strapped in, helmets in place. Let the parade begin!

"Many of them are either left out, left behind, or excluded," Lavalle says. "So they're not having the typical childhood experience that you and I had. This enables them to just be kids, riding a bike with your friend. You're just kids riding bikes."

Lavalle started the program more than four years ago, and donations poured in. At total of 1,500 kids with disabilities have received bikes and strollers since it was initiated.

"We have a wheelchair," says Michael McClain, a boy's father. "But the wheelchair has to stay in school and at daycare. And it's really hard to put that in the back of my van. So this is amazing."

Tracey Mozeyko, another boy's mother, says, "It's so light, we can use all of our seats, have everybody in the vehicle, still put this in there, and he can be included in everything we do."

LaValle says there are more where these came from.

"We have enough funding to provide 120 more," he said.

For more information, log on to: VarietyPittsburgh.org

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