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Marietta Kiwanis Club donates trike to Ewing School

Photo by Peyton Neely Daniel Jenks, 15, of Lower Salem, rides around on the new AmTryke adaptive tricycle at Ewing School in Marietta.

MARIETTA — The joy seen on the face of a child while riding a bike for the first time is unforgettable.

For some children, it isn’t as easy as for others but thanks to the Marietta Kiwanis Club, youth like 15-year-old Daniel Jenks, of Lower Salem, will get the chance to ride a bike just like everyone else.

Jenks is a student at Ewing School, which is part of the Washington County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Ewing School is for students with multiple disabilities ages 6 to 22. it offers specialized instruction to assist students to acquire new skills in self-reliance and involvement within the community.

“This is what Kiwanis is all about, kids first,” said Pat Amrine, president for the Marietta Kiwanis Club. “We design all our projects around children. We raise money in the community and spend it on the community.”

As part of its monthly project for the community, the Marietta Kiwanis Club purchased an AmTryke adaptive tricycle for the students. This piece of equipment costs more than $1,500 and is adjustable to fit the needs of nearly every student at Ewing.

“The three wheels provide balance for students who may be balance impaired,” said Diane Webb, physical therapy assistant at Ewing. “This allows them to be more independent.”

The AmTryke offers adjustable side support for students who may not have the balance to stay up on their own. There are also straps on the pedals so the feet can be secure.

“We are so fortunate as a school to have the support from the community,” said Principal Melissa Nething. “Without this support, we wouldn’t have things like this. Any adaptive equipment is expensive and funding is hard to get. We are just so appreciative of organizations like the Kiwanis Club who bring these opportunities to us.”

As Jenks rode around on the new tricycle, he could not stop smiling. His face was glowing as he circled laps around the gym.

“Every child here deserves to have these experiences just like any other kid,” said Nething. “We can’t afford some of this equipment on our own but we are so lucky to have support from the community.”

Nething asked Jenks to help put the equipment back into the “garage” which is the closet in the gym they keep the tricycle in.

“Can I do one more lap?” he pleaded.

Amrine said that the donation is just part of the projects the Kiwanis Club does all year long.

“We have our big fundraiser in February called Pancake Days,” he said. “This year was our best year and we raised over $23,000.”

Pancake Days are the first Friday and Saturday in February every year.

“We wanted to get a bike so multiple sized children could ride it,” said Amrine. “They already had a couple but we wanted to donate one that could be used by any sized child.”

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