Screams of unbridled excitement could be heard last week in the Loudon Elementary School gymnasium as children rode their new AmTryke therapeutic tricycles donated by members of the Kiwanis Club of Tellico Village.

Three children were given tricycles, and one was donated to Loudon Elementary to be kept at the school.

The bikes were four of eight that have been given to children so far in 2016, and the club is looking to distribute 15 bikes to children in Loudon County and surrounding communities this year, club secretary Rob Orkney said, noting three more were waiting to be presented as of last week.


“It’s gratifying because the child in that family — oftentimes the children who have needs for this have some type of a birth defect, not something that they did, it’s just something (that happened), and so riding a bike is one thing most kids like to do, and they’re not able to do it,” Fred Wicht, Kiwanis president, said. “They see their friends and brothers and sisters riding bikes, but they don’t have a bike to ride. So this gives them an opportunity to ride a bike, and it’s also helpful for the therapist because a lot of the children need to do work to strengthen muscles and to strengthen legs and arms and stuff that they need to strengthen in order to get better.”

Wicht helped make the program a reality six years ago. Tricycles cost $350-$800, with the average about $650, Orkney said.

“We’ll help facilitate (the bike), and then depending upon the need we’ll pay for it,” Wicht said. “On most cases the families really don’t have the financial (means) in order to buy it. Insurance companies won’t pay for it. If the child needed a wheelchair the insurance company would pay for a wheelchair. Insurance companies look at this as a recreational thing, not a therapeutic thing, so they don’t pay for it.”

The AmTryke therapeutic tricycle program is made possible through community donations and two Kiwanis International Foundation grants.

Orkney said the most recent grant received was for $4,000.

“That’s the main motivator is we’re trying to help the children, and that’s the focus of our club is helping the children, serving children,” Orkney said.

Amanda Robinson watched as her son, Wesley Bunch, 6, rode around the gym with his younger brother, Evan, 4, in tow. Wesley is in first grade at LES this year, and his brother will also be going to Loudon.

Robinson said Wesley is developmentally delayed.

“Just being able to see — he’s not been really able to do anything on his own,” Robinson said, wiping away tears. “So just being able to let him be normal and being able to do things that his younger brother has been able to do. It’s just really sweet. ... Being able to see his big brother (ride the bike). He’s such a big help too. I think he knows how to work it now. I think it means a lot to him too so they can ride their bikes together and stuff.”

Kori Smith watched son Briley Yarbrough, 6, being pushed around by his younger sister, Bailey Yarbrough. Briley, who has cerebral palsy, is a first-grader at LES this year.

“I’m excited about it. He’s going to be able to play with his siblings outside,” Smith said. “... I’m sure he’s excited to be able to get around.”

LES Principal Kim Greenway said the tricycle left at the school will be useful year round.

In order to receive tricycles, children must be prescribed the bikes by a physical therapist, Wicht said.

“Mrs. (Nancy) Dunning saw an opportunity and sought the means to provide these students with a specially designed tricycle of their own,” Greenway said in an email correspondence. “We appreciate the time and energies taken to make this happen. ... In addition to the tricycles for these individual students, the Kiwanis Club group is also donating a tricycle to our school for some of our youngest students to use. We are grateful for the contributions of everyone involved, and we can’t wait to see the excitement and the smiles when the kids see their tricycles.”

For more information on the Kiwanis program, call treasurer Rick Bailey at 865-312-3876. To donate, send a check to Kiwanis Foundation of Tellico Village, attention Rick Bailey, 120 Tooweka Circle, Loudon, TN 37774.

“It’s an enthusiastic volunteer commitment to helping these children be better off in their lives,” Orkney said about the Kiwanis Club.