Bikes offer mobility, fun

posse08092: Blair Bikes
Kern County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse member Walter Young guided Savannah Allaniz, while she did the pedaling.
Two children riding bikes in the school yard is not a common sight, but occasionally you see it. When two students in the Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ (KCSOS) severely, orthopedically impaired class at the Harry E. Blair Learning Center in Bakersfield took an Aug. 24 playground ride, it was worth seeing. Both Savannah Allaniz and Emma Bewley were the first in their class to test drive brand new Freedom Concepts bikes built specifically for those who are physically challenged.

Presenting the bikes to the class were Jim Treanor and Walter Young, members of the non-profit Kern County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse, which each year gives away more than $25,000 to schools and charitable organizations. The posse’s generosity did not go unnoticed. Even without tough economic conditions, purchasing the bikes would have been nearly impossible because of the steep price tag. Together the cost was $7,800, and the posse donated the entire amount, so all the children in the class would have the chance to have fun while they learn to exercise their legs.

“For 67 years we have been donating money to causes that help children, as the oldest continuous nonprofit posse organization operating in California,” Young said. “Why do we do it? Just take a walk through the classroom. The answer is in what you see.”

Students in the class are taught with the MOVE (Mobility Opportunities Via Education) International curriculum designed to help them learn how to sit, stand and walk independently. These three-wheeled bikes, which look kind of like a bike/tricycle hybrid, offer the children another step forward in their quest for more mobility. Their safety was carefully considered in the construction. Each student is secured with back supports and a seat belt. Their feet are fitted into stirrups which can be adjusted to meet size requirements for each individual. Even their guidance was thought out in the design, as each bike features a handle on the back which allows a caregiver to aide in the child’s movement and direction.

“Savannah took the handlebars and started moving. I was amazed. She wanted to guide the bike herself. I had very little work to do,” Young said.

There to witness how the children would take to the new vehicles were KCSOS Special Education Programs Director Julianna Gaines and Principal Ann Caragher.

“Before a teacher, aide, parent or caregiver would have to guide the student by pulling from the handlebars at the front of the bike, which put a lot of strain on that person and also left them in a position where they could not see where they were going,” Gaines said. “I really like the handle on the back that has made it less physical for the caregiver and gives them a clear view of what’s ahead.”

Likewise, Caragher liked what she saw.

“The health benefits alone are big pluses for our children,” Caragher said. “The bikes allow them to participate in activities, which were not available before. And most all of our kids can use the bikes because you can raise and lower the seat and handlebars. Everything’s adjustable. And even when they are being pushed by a caregiver, their feet still move in a cycling rotation that gives them exercise.”

This is not an isolated act of kindness on the part of the posse. As Young said, they have been doing it for 67 years. Every year when the Kern County Fair rolls around, the posse antes up the money so any special needs student in the county who wants to can attend on a day reserved for all of them. You can also see the posse doing the barbecuing and handing out the lunches which feed the children on their special day at the fair. The money raised comes through dances, reverse drawings and dinners which the posse puts on during the year so they can help out the children.

“It gives us a purpose,” Treanor said.

“They do great things for us,” Gaines added.


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