What started as a terrible situation for a Hinckley man has been turned around into something that will benefit several residents in the area.
Wayne, who is deaf and has Down Syndrome, has had his three-wheeled bike stolen two times in the last year. The most recent theft happened just a few weeks after he replaced the first one. According to Wayne's friends and family, his bike was one of the ways he felt a sense of freedom.
Out of frustration over the second theft, Wayne's mother took to Facebook and asked for help finding it. Her post suddenly caught traction, and people started reaching out to help get Wayne's sense of freedom back.
Alicia Ascheman was one of the who reached with an offer to replace the bike.
In a post to Facebook, Ascheman wrote, "It was soon very clear I wouldn’t be the only one to offer, just the quickest! Julie [Leger]'s post had gone viral, and her inbox was flooded with messages from people wanting to help."
Ascheman went onto say that one person offered to split the cost. According to her post, when Ted Rehbein learned that the bike was paid for, he suggested that they fundraise to help others.
The group quickly found three more differently-abled people who could use a bicycle and Wayne's Bikes was formed.
They are currently raising money to purchase the bikes through Kickstarter and has raised $645 within its first six days. Wayne's Bikes current goal is to raise a total of $3000.
You can donate to Wayne's Bikes below.
