The Santa Clarita Kiwanis Club recently completed the first segment of it’s Special Needs Tricycle Program. The Kiwanis Club has donated seven adult tricycles, helmets and bike locks to the Valencia High School special needs department.

Many special needs high school students are now gaining the benefit from having adult tricycles. These benefits include enhancing stability, reducing the risk of falls, instilling confidence in riders, increasing physical activity and increasing independence. A long list of benefits could include help with range of motion, strength levels, motor planning skills, coordination, breathing and blood circulation, cognitive development and visual perception, digestion, sleep habits, functional mobility, as well as many other benefits.

The Santa Clarita Kiwanis Club will continue to provide ongoing maintenance of the adult tricycles and more adult tricycles as needed.

The adult tricycles were either purchased or restored from tricycles that were donated. Those who donated tricycles were Alex and Bill Tozzi, Curt Hill, Nathan Hartzell, Keelee Hudson and Project Sebastian.

The Kiwanis Children’s Fund provided a grant to help fund the Santa Clarita Kiwanis Special Needs Tricycle Program.

The local nonprofit is also encouraging its Key Clubbers in each of the high schools be involved in supporting this project with student helpers and see how they can partner in other ways with the special needs student population. The VHS Key Clubbers have already had one project with the special needs students at their high school.

The Club’s next step is to find another high school or junior high school that would want to have this program provided for them.

For more information or help to get a similar program started in your area, please contact Mark E. Hartzell at mytekprint@aol.com.