“My son, Owen, had ridden a two-wheeler with training wheels when he was younger, but he outgrew the size bikes that could be fitted with training wheels before he had learned to ride without them. I couldn’t tell how interested he was in learning (I think that in the past, he thought it was a lot of work with little payoff, because he had not had a taste of what it is like to really ride), but I showed him the iCan Shine videos online and he saw how much fun the kids in the program were having. Given his interest in movement and things with wheels, I had a feeling he would like it once he could ride. I had wanted him to participate in iCan Shine for a few years, but the camps in our area always conflicted with his regular summer camp until this year. I knew this was our chance, but I didn’t really know what to expect. As the start date approached for the camp at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, he was very much looking forward to bike camp. And once he got on a bike, there was no looking back. He was on a two-wheeler on day 3 and thrilled to be riding outside! In retrospect, I think having to wait a few years due to scheduling conflicts was not a bad thing. He is now bigger and stronger, so the physical aspects of riding were not at all intimidating to him. He’s also become more coordinated with his gross motor skills thanks to some physical maturing and some PT. On top of that, he was really motivated to learn to ride a bike! Perfect timing, great program (including fabulous staff and volunteers), happy kid! Thanks to everyone at iCan Shine! P.S. I also was a volunteer spotter at iCan Shine and I think it’s important to mention that every kid’s experience is going to be different. While not every single kid will necessarily be riding independently by the end of the 5-day program, every kid in my son’s group made progress that their families can build on to help them become future bike riders.”