The community is rallying together to give a local boy with cerebral palsy some independence this summer.
Angela Shymanski has started a fundraiser to give her 11-year-old neighbour, King, a specialized bicycle tailored to his unique needs.
King was in the same class as Shymanski’s daughter at school, and then they realized that he lived also lived in the same neighbourhood, so the families have gotten to know each other well over the past year and a half.
“He’s just the nicest, sweetest kid, and their family is so kind,” said Shymanski, adding that King’s parents, Heather and Stan, are the first to volunteer and help out anyone in the neighbourhood.
She said King originally had a small battery-operated bicycle that he could ride around the neighbourhood, but it was designed for much younger kids, and he has since outgrown it.
“So, his mom said they really want to get a specialized bicycle, but they're so expensive.”
A new specialized bicycle for King would cost approximately $5,000.
“I have literally sent letters to so many charities and organizations, but some of them have very strict requirements,” explained Shymanski.
She said as King’s dad is an electrician, the family does not qualify for a lot of the income-related grants; however, she noted that $5,000 is still a massive cost for a family with only one parent working.
“Another thing that's like a drawback to some of these organizations is they have these funding windows so they will accept applications between like January and February or October and November, but like here in the north, it's such a short summer that we have, so we really want him to get a bike this year.”
She said some of the hoops they have to jump through to get funding is really frustrating.
“So it'd be just so nice if we could raise the money just from our community and from family and friends.”
Shymanski said that’s why she decided to try a GoFundMe campaign, which has already raised over $3,000 of the $5,000 goal.
“Initially, we found a used bicycle that was $2,000, and that was our initial goal to fundraise for that. But then, after looking at the bike closer, it was 10 years old, and they still wanted $2,000, which is considerable for an old bike,” said Shymanski.
“Then the fundraiser really took off, so we decided, well, maybe we can get him a brand new one, so now we're on our way towards that.”
Shymanski noted that King has some medical appointments coming up in Vancouver, and the possibility of getting a new bike has been a big motivator for him.
“He really wants to come bike ride to our house because we have a zipline and a trampoline that he really likes going on,” said Shymanski.
“We're really hoping when he gets home from the appointments, his new bike is here.”
