TELLICO VILLAGE, Tenn. — On October 9, the Kiwanis Club of Tellico Village donated their 87th amtryke to Neli, an 11-year-old paraplegic girl.
An amtryke is a tricycle that is designed for children and adults alike with physical disabilities.
Neli, along with her family, gathered among members of the Tellico Village Kiwanis Club at the Tellico Dam to receive her new amtryke.
The Kiwanis Club paid for and assembled the bike for Neli once they received it. The amtrykes have a cost that runs from $1,000 to $1,600.
Neli’s mother, Carrie Mitchell, was thankful for the Kiwanis Club’s gift.
“We are extremely grateful,” Mitchell said. “She uses it at school with her physical therapists.
“It will be at home with us in the summer as well, so she can use it then.”
Six Months of Waiting Leads to the Ride of a Lifetime
The process to get Neli her new amtryke was a long one. However, the Tellico Village Kiwanis Club media correspondent Ken Austin talked about how the wait was all worth it.
“Neli had been waiting six months for this amtryke,” said Austin. “It was specially made for her. She was a lovely young girl at our presentation — and went off riding on it as we were leaving.”
Neli went around the Tellico Dam lot joyfully riding her amtryke with her family and Kiwanis Club members looking on.
Austin could clearly see the enjoyment she got from her new vehicle.
“The opportunity to give a youngster mobility is great,” said Austin. “She can feel like the other kids with a chance to ride around on it.”
Neli and her many siblings have begun to play among each other with her new amtryke as well.
“We took it out the following weekend so she could ride around,” Mitchell said.
Making Amtryke Giveaways Happen
The Kiwanis Club of Tellico Village partners up with therapists and nurses who work in the world of physical disabilities in children.
“We ask them for recommendations,” Austin said. “We have also gone out to other Kiwanis clubs in surrounding counties. A lot of them have gotten involved in amtrykes as well.”
The community is continually invested into the Kiwanis Club of Tellico Village’s mission of making differences in the lives of children.
For more information about the Tellico Village Kiwanis Club, you can visit k15626.site.kiwanis.org.
