Mikey is a 10-year-old student at Fernhill School. The middle child in family of three boys, he loves music, water and bikes. Fascinated with the wheels and how they spin, Mikey was the first of many students who were excited when Fernhill School received a We Join Grant for the purchase of adaptive bikes. Variety promotes inclusivity for all Australian children – no matter their circumstances. We invite schools and not-for-profit organisations to apply for We Join Grants to improve access for children in their community.
Recently, a We Join Grant valued at more than $9000 was provided to Fernhill School for the purchase of adaptive bikes. Fernhill is a school for specific purposes (SSP) in Glenmore Park, NSW, that provides specialist and intensive support for students with moderate to high learning and support needs.
The brightly coloured bikes have done much more than get their students moving on three wheels as teacher, Julie, and Tina, mum to Mikey, a Fernhill school student, explain.
“Our mission statement is ‘Independence Through Learning.’ One of our biggest challenges is providing diverse activities for our students as equipment is so expensive so we need to be resourceful where we can. We looked to Variety for help, and we are just so grateful for the new adaptive bikes as they offer a range of benefits to our kids. Obviously, the physical benefits but also the social interactions they’re having with their friends. They have provided a different activity for our students to get out of their wheelchairs and enjoy. It’s wonderful to see our kids on equipment that perhaps they haven’t been on before, a lot of our students may have never ridden a bike. We’re also getting our high school students to help our younger students to use the bikes so they’ve just really brought all our students and our school community together”
– Julie, Teacher, Fernhill School.
“Mikey is my middle child. He’s always happy, he’s always smiling. He loves the outdoors and is just always on the go.
The bikes definitely give him independence. Being adaptive they give him the opportunity to get out there and they give him a sense of freedom really, just him being able to do what other kids can do and not being left out. It makes me happy because I know he’s enjoying himself. He’s also building his gross motor skills, as well as other skills that help him throughout life.
Thank you to Variety. Being able to have the bikes at school just means freedom, independence and happiness” – Tina, mum to Mikey, Fernhill School student.
Every Child Deserves to Thrive
Change Takes All Of Us
Every child deserves the chance to explore, grow, and dream without limits. Their potential shouldn’t be defined by disability, illness, or financial hardship. We work to remove those barriers and open the doors to new possibilities.
