Community rallies to gift Belle River woman new specialized trike

A Belle River woman with cerebral palsy has been given a new trike after hers was stolen.

The Belle River community rallied together to give a local woman a new specialized trike after hers was stolen.

Michelle has cerebral palsy and depends on the bike to get around. After it was stolen, she was left without one for a year.

“It was really hard on her because she’s independent,” said Chris, Michelle’s friend.

“She is really considerate. Doesn’t like having to rely on somebody else to take her places. And so, she lost a little bit of that over the last year.”

Michelle used her trike for a variety of things, such as grocery runs and visiting her friends. After she moved into a new building last year, it was taken on her first night.

Without the bike, everyday tasks were frustrating and time-consuming for her, especially as transit options were limited and cab rides could be expensive.

The Belle River Goodfellows decided to step up and help Michelle out, quietly working to find her a replacement. She was given that new trike on Friday.

“If you saw that trike out in front of Tim Hortons, Foodland, Shoppers, you knew she was in the store,” said Rick Anderson, president of Goodfellows Belle River Rochester.

“Everybody knows Michelle in Belle River. So, we (Belle River Goodfellows) had a meeting, and we decided to replace the bike. We do special things like this if it comes to our attention, and if it wasn’t for the community, we wouldn’t be able to do this.”