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Contact:

Justin Richardson

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For immediate release

ICanShine races to help disabled children ride

FAIRFAX, VA. – The axles turn swiftly, the momentum of the riders pushing through

the cold, autumn wind at Kilmer Middle School. On the outside, it looks like a regular class of

young students learning how to ride bicycles, which was the goal all along for the people who

work at iCanShine.

Hayden Parker, 8, is riding with iCanShine for the first time. His journey here was

stressful; he was diagnosed at two years old with low muscle tone development at Johns Hopkins

University Hospital. But on the tennis court located in the back of the school, Parker is not

thinking of his body. He isn’t even thinking of the falls he takes in front of everyone as he rides

with iCanShine assistant Andrea Patrick. He grins as photographers take photos and video of him

riding in front of the small crowd he has drawn.

The organization iCanShine is drawing great reviews from the mothers who give their

children this experience. “We are very impressed with them,” said Le’An Parker, Hayden’s

mother. “They’ve got so many volunteers helping out. There’s so much praise to the kids;

they’re energetic, they adjust things to where he is comfortable.”

The Parkers

discovered iCanShine

through a pamphlet

they acquired at

Hayden’s school,

Oakton Elementary.

This wasn’t the first

time Hayden tried a

program for disabled

individuals; at the age

of four, Hayden made

the front cover of a

local Arizona newspaper that depicted him taking part in a swimming program. The cover

featured Miss Arizona helping the kids and promoting the cause.

After roughly a half hour of riding outside, the riders now go inside the school gym.

Inside, a boy named is riding a bike for the first time. Marco Roksandic, 9, is in his first week at

iCanShine as well. His mother, Ana, is overjoyed to watch her son, who was diagnosed with

autism, develop life skills from riding. “He never rode a bike before, so I couldn’t prepare him

for this, because I’m not sure how much he knows about biking,” Ana said. “He’s energetic, and

Hayden Parker, left, pedals with iCanShine leader Andrea Patrick, center, and a young volunteer. Taken November 13, 2015.

Photo credit: Justin Richardson

this is helping him work on his self-confidence. Not only for the physical, but for his skills. He

got on the bike, and he liked it, and that’s how he got started. This can build his independence.”

Like the Parkers, Roksandic and her son found out about iCanShine from her son’s

school. “At Franklin Sherman Elementary in McLean, I had a meeting with the PE teacher, and

we talked about an adaptive program for children with disabilities, and she gave me details for

this program,” Roksandic said.

Roksandic further praised the group’s ability to develop her son’s identity: “Children

with needs rely on people, so it’s important for him to do this on his own, for being able to feel

accomplished on his own,” she said. “I’ve mentioned iCanShine to my family and friends, and

his teacher at school. I am satisfied with the program, the volunteers are great, and they’re

positive and enjoy it.”

The beginnings of iCanShine stem from 2007, when the program was known as Lose the

Training Wheels. Activities and equipment were designed to help people with disabilities learn

how to ride bicycles. A camp based program, the organizers expanded their work into school

districts. They later renamed the foundation to “iCanShine” in the year 2012, with an expansion

to the bike program this year. In addition, Lisa Ruby, the group’s founder, began a dancing

program, iCanDance, in 2014, and this year also added iCanSwim.

Despite having only three

full-time employees with

Patrick being the newest

member, iCanShine is a

group with great reach: 13

schools are accepting their program this year alone, Ruby says. In the iCan programs, they

partner with “hosts,” which include universities, parks and recreation, or middle schools. They

run programs from Monday to Friday as sessions, which, according to Ruby, are similar to

lessons or classes. A team of two to four volunteers help four to eight participants each session.

The camps, which include up to five sessions, take place throughout the year, regardless if it is

spring, summer, or winter. With eight participants per session, there can be up to 40 participants

on a typical iCanShine day. As for after school programs, iCanShine has a one-session program

that serves four to eight riders. The volunteers are middle school to high school aged, and receive

benefits for their work.

iCanDance serves six to eight dancers in one session. Before the dancers arrive, daily

training lasts for an hour. The mission statement for iCanDance is that it is “an inclusive dance

program for children of all abilities,” according to Ruby. iCanSwim utilizes adapted aquatics

instructors to teach the participating individuals about swimming, maximizing independence, and

safety.

Ruby conceived iCanShine after having an “epiphany” to help children and decided to

quit corporate America once she had accumulated enough revenue. Before beginning iCanShine,

she had been running a consulting business for six years in Seattle. When she planned on making

iCanShine a reality, she sold her business and house and moved to Virginia. Though Ruby

primarily relies on donations for support as a nonprofit, iCanShine acquired a successful sponsor

in Quality Bike Parts. “Their tagline is ‘every butt on a bike,’” she says, “and we said that we

have lots of butts we need to put on bikes. Since then, they’ve been our biggest sponsor,” Ruby

stated.

Ruby said that the benefits of iCanShine programs are that they make everyone more of

the same, and increase self-esteem and self-confidence. “Confidence is our No. 1,” Ruby said.

With the positive responses from mothers of disabled children such as Mrs. Parker, or Mrs.

Roksandic, it sure seems that iCanShine is doing a great job at accomplishing their goals.

A group photo of iCanShine volunteers and participants in Kilmer Middle School’s gymnasium. Taken November 13, 2015.

Photo credit: Justin Richardson