BY JOE SCOTCHIE
jscotchie@antonmediagroup.com
American Car Wash (ACW) has been a mainstay of the Roslyn business community for the past five years. Part of being in the Roslyn community always means conducting acts of charity.
“At ACW, we always fundraise for children who are struggling,” said Janet Elias, who with her husband, Heskel, is the co-proprietor of the establishment on 1305 Northern Blvd.
Among those charities is Share The Voice, a West Babylon-based charity that specializes in providing adaptive tricycles for special needs children. Earlier this month, Elias had the pleasure of surprising a young man, Jason of Woodmere, with a handsome $2,500 adaptive tricycle.
Elias was inspired to assist Share The Voice after she purchased an adaptive tricycle for her niece. She realized the cost, which in this case was $3,000, was probably more than most parents of special needs children could manage, so she found out about Share The Voice and decided to use ACW facilities for a fundraiser that would allow the company to purchase such a tricycle for a needy youngster.
The fundraiser was assisted by a $500 gift card donated by London’s Jewelers, one that was raffled off to a lucky winner. Elias promised that she would match the amount of money raised by the event. All this proved to be enough to purchase the tricycle.
Elias said such tricycles are used with parental assistance. The parent will push the child into the tricycle seat and then the youngster takes off. While parents continue to assist, the youngster, Elias said, will eventually learn to ride the tricycle by themselves, a process that helps them blend in with other children in bicycle-friendly Nassau County.
Share The Voice has been in operation since April, 2013. Since then, the organization has seen donations come from a variety of sources, including local businesses, schools and corporations.
“Our program was established to enhance the lives of disabled children,” Share The Voice’s website claimes. “Recreational use of adaptive tricycles brings many rewards. It builds self-esteem and confidence, provides stress relief, increases social skills, strengthens weak muscles and stretches tight ones, and increases balance and gross motor skills. Owning a tricycle helps physically and cognitively challenged children become more independent and gives them the ability to socialize with typical children in their neighborhood. It gives them an outlet to be just like the other kids.”
The organization also notes that bicycles are typical rite of passage for children growing up in suburban communities.
“Children who are in need if extra trunk support, extra balance support, and harnesses, can not use just any bike bought from a store,” the website continued, further explaining their unique mission. “Long Island children are blessed to live in communities with bike trails, boardwalks, large parks and preserves. For children who can not walk, have visual impairments, and are almost always at the mercy of their caregiver, these tricycles give them the ability to enjoy their natural environments, socialize and gain a sense of independence as they ride along the trails.”
