Contact: Erin Campbell
5049 Copley Dr.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 974-7230
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Athletes Helping Athletes and Road Runner Sports Help Children with Disabilities Soar to New Heights
San Diego, California―Athletes Helping Athletes (AHA), a charity organization that helps children with disabilities enjoy sports, is giving away its 346th handcycle at the Road Runner Sports retail store in San Diego, California, at 2 p.m., Thursday, July 31, 2008. Ethan de Neve, a sevenyear-old boy with Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency (PFFD), will receive the handcycle accompanied by his mother Sara, father Michael, and his twin brother Andrew.Ethan is the first to receive a handcycle after a recent two-week fundraiser in which AHA raised nearly $65,000.
Ethan de Neve was born with PFFD, a disorder where the proximal femur in the lower leg is partially absent, and results in one leg being considerably shorter than the other. Like most seven year-old boys, Ethan is energetic and competitive, but his disability limits the activities he can participate in. His mother says Ethan has grown increasingly frustrated. “If we are all biking or running, he cannot join in unless he is being pushed in his special jogging stroller. And that’s just not that much fun for him.”
Sara and Michael have searched for equipment to help Ethan join the family on outdoor activities, but had little luck until recently when they read about Athletes Helping Athletes in a Road Runner Sports mail catalog.
AHAis an in-house charity of Road Runner Sports, the world’s largest retailer of running gear, and is funded solely by private donations. Founded in 2000, AHA has helped nearly 350 children with disabilities become active in sports by giving away handcycles for free.Handcycles are multi-gear bicycles with up to four wheels that are powered by hand. Fiona Gotfredson, AHA Chairman, says that children with disabilities gain self-confidence from participating in sports while experiencing the freedom and thrill of riding a handcycle. She says, “Who better to focus on than the children who have their whole lives ahead of them? Seeing them smile is all it takes to know we made a difference.”
The cost of a handcycle, upwards of $3000 each, is a major obstacle for most families. AHA, a volunteer-only organization, uses 100% of donations to pay for complete handcycles and helmets, which are “all a child needs to get started and hit the road,” says Mike Gotfredson, Fiona’s husband and owner of Road Runner Sports. “When these kids get their bike, it’s most likely the first time in their lives that they’ve been able to go that fast. It’s like Christmas, Easter and Halloween rolled into one.”
Ever since Ethan found out he will receive a handcycle from AHA, he has been talking non-stop about it, says his mother Sara. “For Ethan to have a hand bike will be an amazing thing. Tonight, he came in and said, ‘You know, Momma, I am actually glad I have a little leg because if I had two long legs, I would have to ride a regular bike and never get to maybe have a hand bike. I’m glad God made me be the one to have a little leg.’”
The Gotfredson’s have expanded their program to help children with disabilities all across the U.S. Parents may apply for a handcycle grant from AHA for children with permanent disabilities under the age of 18 by completing the grant process found online at more information, call Fiona Gotfredson at 1-888-566-5221. Donations are accepted year-round.
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