The five-day camp program in West Hartford successfully taught dozens of special needs campers to ride a two-wheeler.

By Ronni Newton

Five days after climbing onto specially-equipped bicycles in the gym at West Hartford’s Conard High School, nearly every one of the 37 special needs campers was riding a two-wheeler independently in the school’s parking lot.

The national program “iCan Bike,” which is part of the non-profit “iCan Shine” organization (formerly “Lose the Training Wheels”), has been running a camp in West Hartford for the past decade, and each year graduates newly-minted bicyclists who are confident in a new skill that gives them independence as well as the ability to participate in a great family recreational activity.

“We have tried every summer to get him to feel comfortable on a bike,” said Dianne Smith of Vernon, whose 12-year-old son Nick was riding circles around his volunteer helpers on his own “Buzz Lightyear-colored” bike in the Conard parking lot on Friday morning.

“On Tuesday he said, ‘Mommy, I don’t need my stablizers anymore.’ For him to verbalize that at the end of the second day was amazing,” Smith said.

Smith said she’s known about the program for several years, but this was the first year she felt that her son was ready to give it a try.

Nate LaBelle is a 12-year-old middle schooler from Middlebury, CT, who was also riding independently on Friday. “We’ve always been helping him at home, but from the first day here we felt succcessful. It’s worth every second and his two volunteers have been phenomenal,” said Maureen Aronson, Nate’s grandmother.

“He was petrified, so apprehensive before, but from his first day here his self-confidence was wonderful,” Aronson said. “It warms my heart every time I see him.”

“We have the best helpers. They’ve been working so hard with [Nate] all week. Without the volunteers giving their time this wouldn’t be possible,” said Margaret LaBelle, Nate’s mother.

Becky Hoisl, a Conard graduate (2013) who will be a junior at Catholic University in Washington, DC, this fall, was one of Nate’s volunteer helpers. It’s her second time volunteering with the program.

“I enjoy doing this because it’s so cool to watch them progress starting with the roller bikes. It’s great to watch their parents see them learn before their eyes. It gives the kids so much freedom,” Hoisl said.

Many of the volunteers are high school students or recent graduates from West Hartford, but there are also adults as well as a contingent of West Hartford Fire and Police Department volunteers who come out every year.

A crew from West Hartford Fire Station no. 1 was at Conard Friday morning. “This is a great thing,” said Capt. Steven Winter who was volunteering for the fourth year. He said the lessons learned at the camp have helped him teach his own young daughter to ride her bike.

Loic Toutain of West Hartford is another of the program’s success stories. The 10-year-old Norfeldt Elementary School student had some ability to ride a bike when the camp started, said his mom, Leslie Toutain, but he wasn’t confident.

“He has always been so anxious. It’s been helpful and reassuring for him to see other kids the same age and size as him also learning,” Leslie Toutain said.

iCan Bike Supervisor Amy Casale travels around the United States and Canada putting on camps every summer. She said that on average 80 percent of the camper are riding independently after the five-day program. “We’re very successful, but when the kids aren’t riding independently we teach the parents how to work with them over the summer,” Casale said.

This year’s camp exceeded the average. “Everyone is starting up on two wheels. It’s been another huge success and it’s all about motivation and hard work,” said Sara Tamborello, the iCan Bike camp coordinator from West Hartford’s Department of Leisure Services.

“We’re thrilled to see the kids develop this way. This is what our organization is all about,” said Mike Michaud from the Miracle League of Connecticut, who handed out medals and certificates to all of the campers at the end of the program.

This year’s iCan Bike camp was sponsored by West Hartford’s Department of Human & Leisure Services, the Miracle League of Connecticut, The Farmington Inn, Bloomfield Bicycle, Bike West Hartford, Inc., and the West Hartford Bicycle Advisory Committee. Campers are ages 8 and up and come from West Hartford and other Connecticut towns as well as other parts of the country. This year there was a 24-year-old camper and there was also a camper from Puerto Rico whose family timed a vacation to coincide with the program.

Information about next year’s iCan Bike program will be posted on the Town of West Hartford’s website as soon as it is available. Tamborello said the program hopes to attract more adult volunteers next year in addition to the students.

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