Sandra Alfonzo runs her own bicycle shop in South Slope Brooklyn, and loves watching children enjoy their bikes throughout the city. One morning, during her morning run, she spotted a child without a bike. He watched other kids whizz by sadly, but knew he would never ride one himself because he was in a wheelchair. At that moment, Ms. Alfonzo took on a new project: providing customized bikes to children with special needs. With no experience in fundraising, she calculated that she’d be able to buy one adapted bike, priced at $4,000, each year if she could successfully get a small donation for every flat tire that she fixed at the shop, and match each one.
Upon hearing of her plan, a regular customer revealed his background in fundraising and gave her some pointers. Together they researched adaptable bikes and spoke with an organization called Freedom Concepts about the options that exist and the challenges they may face throughout their campaign. Today, Alfonzo’s project is called AdaptAbility and is already raising funds online. Alfonzo is hopeful that they will be able to purchase their first bike by next month.