At their regular Wednesday morning meeting, the Germantown Kiwanis Club presented a check for $500 to the Autism Society of Southeast Wisconsin to sponsor the iCan Bike event. The event will be held in Germantown at the High School, June 17-21, 2019, to teach young autistic boys and girls how to ride two-wheel bicycles. Accepting the check for the Autism Society of Southeast Wisconsin was Julie Quigley, coordinator for the event. Over 40 children, ages 11 through 19 will benefit from the event.
Quigley told the Germantown Kiwanis that autistic children and young adults often do not learn to ride two-wheel bicycles, missing out on one of the important passtimes for young Americans. The iCan Bike event uses innovative techniques to teach autistic youth to ride a bicycle. She told the group that by the end of the five-day camp over 80 percent of riders learn to ride their bikes completely independently. Success in learning to ride a bicycle is a major accomplishment for attendees and builds confidence and an improved self-image.
Quigley said that bike camp registrations sold out immediately. She noted the need for this service here in the Germantown area is so great that the Autism Society of Southeastern Wiscsonsin is considering doing the event here again next year.
Bike camp depends on a lot of volunteers. She said it takes two adults per student to hold the event. Volunteers are still needed for the June program.
To learn more about the iCan Bike program, follow this link to the Autism Society website.
