Kalamazoo AMBUCS Gives People With Disabilities New Life Experiences

Often times, we look around and think that everything we see in the world is normal and the way it's supposed to be. Some would call this taking life for granted, and there may be no more true words in the world. Sometimes we forget how easily things could be different for us in the blink of an eye.

Some people have the misfortune of being born with a disability or getting into an accident that leaves them disabled. This changes the way they are able to interact and engage with the world around them. Many laws in both the state and federal governments do a great job of making the world accommodating to them, but realistically it still falls short.

That's where organizations like AMBUCS come into play, often changing these individuals' lives in a way that themselves and their families couldn't have imagined before. AMBUCS stands for American Business Clubs which was started in the early 1900s with the sole purpose of helping Americans with disabilities.

AMBUCS Makes Living With A Disability Easier

Recently, the Kalamazoo branch of AMBUCS was able to change a young boy's life forever with a custom tricycle. 12-year-old Owen Bolles was born with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome which affects his muscle tone and mobility. He recently started walking in physical therapy and that's when specialists learned he loved bikes.

They were able to make him a tricycle that is accommodating to his condition and his body. WWMT via MSN reports:

After his parents filled out an application describing his challenges, AMBUCS built the tricycle around overcoming them. The handlebars were adjusted for his height, and straps were built into the seat and pedals. "He needed a specific backrest, and he needed the shoulder for the harness that goes across the front," Kalamazoo Valley AMBUCS Treasurer Donna Whitcomb explained. Up until now, his family said he experienced the outside world through a stroller. Now with a more active alternative, they hope to turn family walks into a new way for Owen to exercise. "We're working on him just being more mobile, you know, more independence, being more like a typical everyday kid," Darcy said.

His mom says that she was overwhelmed watching get to ride his new tricycle and says this was just another bonus is life as she tries to give him the best in life. AMBUCs gives away nearly a dozen bikes in the Kalamazoo area and thousands nationally, every year.