Huntsville Tennessee Valley AMBUCS is a non–profit organization that reaches out to children, wounded warriors, and other adults who are unable to ride a regular bike.
The AmTryke offers mobility, independence and the opportunity of inclusive play to children with health challenges—Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Down syndrome and Autism among others. What makes an AmTryke® special? It was designed to address the needs of children with disabilities. It may be “peddled” by using hands and/or feet. To insure a proper fit AmTrykes® can be adapted in many ways including frame size and positioning, seat selection, head rests, lateral support, knee separators, foot cups and handgrip placement.
BENEFITS Physical activity is known to improve heart and lung function, promote bone strength, reduce stress, enhance and/or maintain cognitive function, decrease depression, and provide opportunities for recreation and social interaction. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that children receive 60 minutes of physical activity a day that should include aerobic activity and muscle and bone strengthening exercises. Children with disabilities have limited choices on how to meet these recommendations, but the AmTryke® can help. It addresses all three areas of recommended physical activity and most importantly it is fun to ride.
Though fun to ride, the AmTryke® is a therapeutic device. AMBUCS has long recognized the important role of physical and occupational therapists in the evaluation of children with disabilities who are candidates to receive an AmTryke®. For this reason, no child is provided an AmTryke® without first being evaluated and referred by a therapist. This important step is necessary to insure that the child has the capacity to effectively use the AmTryke® as a therapeutic device allowing the child to gain mobility.
The AmTryke therapeutic tricycle was inspired by a therapist in hopes of giving every individual the freedom of riding their own bike. The AmTryke tricycles can be hand and/or foot operated and are designed to accommodate riders of all ages, sizes, and physical limitations.
The tricycles help improve the quality of life for individuals by helping improve coordination, improving motor skills, helping build strength and also helping improve their self-esteem. These tricycles help give individuals who cannot ride traditional bikes the ability to get outside and experience the feeling of riding a bike.
CHARITABLE INTERVENTION Unfortunately the cost of the tricycles is not covered by insurance and there are many individuals that cannot afford to purchase their own AmTryke. This is where The Huntsville-Tennessee Valley Friends of AMBUCS comes into play. Once a therapist recommends an individual for an AmTryke, the individual will visit an AmTrke Demo site. Once the individual is evaluated and sized for a tricycle and it is determined that the family is financially unable to purchase a tricycle the individual is place on our AmTryke Wish List.
The Huntsville-Tennessee Valley Friends of AMBUCS works with the individuals to help recruit individuals, businesses and organizations to donate money to purchase the tricycles. In order to be placed on the wish list an agreement is signed stating that once the tricycle is no longer needed or the individuals out grows the tricycles they will return the AmTrykes to the local chapter so that the trykes can be recycled and other individuals can benefit from their use.
If you think that you or someone you know would benefit from an AmTryke and you would like more information then please contact The Huntsville-Tennessee Valley Friends of AMBUCS through our Contact Us page or call our AmTryke Program Manager, Tami Tubell at 256.520.5194 or Dottie Forwood at 1-303-910-8018.
If you, your business or your organization would like to get involved by either donation money, time or resources then please take a look at our Donate section.