“Dear I Can Shine Team,

I would like to thank all of you for your great work. My younger brother Keshav is a 27 yr. old active young man who has tried on and off for years to ride a 2 wheel bike. Myself and most of the family had put the idea of him riding on 2 wheels out of our minds and with his age thought it might be past him. At a recent national down syndrome conference in DC, another parent shared with us that your program was coming to the area and we should look into it. My mother, the pillar of our family who always believes its never too late, did not hesitate to sign Keshav up for the session. We all had our reservations that it more than likely would not work and that the program was an hour away, he may get discouraged…..etc,

Well….after the dedication of my brother to do his best and try it out, and the dedication of my family, the volunteers, and the I Can Shine staff…..HE IS RIDING!!!! The morning of the last day of the program, my brother and I went on a frantic search for a bike to purchase, with both of us hoping we were not wasting our money. He had not tried to ride a regular bike up till that point and after warming up on the training bike, the time had come to try his new 2 wheel bike.

To this moment I am still amazed at what happened next and what I have seen in the weeks since. Keshav is riding daily and is getting more and more confident about his riding ability. We started on a flat blacktop and now have progressed to riding around parking lots. This truly has been a blessing and a very big progression for my brother as it will raise his level of independence and help him stay healthy. We wish we would have heard about this program years ago, but are thankful and fortunate that he is riding now.

Finally, the volunteers who were mostly high school students are the heart and soul of the program. The motivation and friendship they provided is the energy source that make the program go. I hope that this program can touch thousands of more lives and thank all involved from all of us in the Gupta family.”