St. Louis, MO, December 29, 2011 - On December 24, 2011, Taylor Eichenlaub received a special gift for Christmas; not from Santa Claus, but from her St. Louis community along with Buddy Bike, LLC, and Nana’s Wish, a non-profit organization headquartered in Southern California. Taylor’s gift, an alternative tandem bicycle called the Buddy Bike^®, will allow her to ride a bicycle just like she did before a rare, incurable brain disease called Leukodystrophy attacked her occipital lobe and took her eyesight in May 2010.

Taylor’s mother, Sandy Schneider Griffin, states that prior to losing her eyesight, “Taylor used to love to ride her bike.” Griffin was dedicated to finding a way to help Taylor get back what she had lost and later discovered the Buddy Bike, a tandem bicycle that places the smaller rider in the front seat while the rear rider controls the steering, shifting and brakes. Griffin immediately recognized the benefits of the Buddy Bike and imagined her daughter feeling the wind in her face and freedom of feeling as if she is riding and steering a bicycle on her own while being safely within reach of her mother’s arms.

Griffin was initially discouraged by the price of the Buddy Bike but became dedicated to finding a way to obtain the special bike for her daughter. Griffin mentioned the Buddy Bike to Stefany Antonacci, a friend employed at Schon on The Boulevard, a boutique in Richmond Heights that holds monthly art and jewelry shows to benefit various St. Louis organizations. Antonacci took the idea to Jams Mitchell, her employer and the owner of Schon and Mitchell James Salon on The Boulevard. Mitchell whole-heartedly approved an event to raise funds and awareness for Taylor’s cause.

Griffin thought this would be the first of several events needed to raise funds for the Buddy Bike until she contacted Shelley Patterson, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Buddy Bike, LLC, the manufacturers of the Buddy Bike. Patterson admired the dedication that Griffin showed toward providing her daughter with a Buddy Bike and reached out to Lola Santos at Nana’s Wish, an organization with a mission to facilitate public awareness of at-risk youth and families through education, coalition building, dialogue and advocacy in efforts to improve their health, welfare and quality of life. Patterson and Santos agreed to provide a Buddy Bike for Taylor through the “A Bike From Austin” program which helps families raise funds to purchase Buddy Bikes at a reduced rate. The program lowered the family’s fundraising goal from over $2000 to $630.50.

Combining the discount offered by Buddy Bike and the fundraising efforts of Nana’s Wish and Sandy Schneider Griffin in her community, the funds were raised for Taylor’s Buddy Bike within two weeks allowing Griffin to present her daughter with the Buddy Bike on Christmas Eve, much earlier than she anticipated. In her appreciation, Griffin shared a video of her daughter receiving the gift and exploring with her hands what her eyes couldn’t see as she happily exclaimed “Holy Cow!” over each feature.

Patterson says, “Buddy Bike is a small company so we can’t donate as many bikes as we would like, but we can bring together the resources and organizations that will help the families. I hope other families will be inspired by this story and know that with a little hard work, a Buddy Bike or whatever you desire may not be as far out of reach as you think.”

About Buddy Bike^®
Buddy Bike, LLC is the manufacturer of an alternative inline tandem bicycle that places the stoker in front. They provide a quality product that will encourage more families to bicycle while providing courteous and timely service to their customers. The majority of Buddy Bike customers are families with special needs children who are seeking adaptive and therapeutic cycling solutions. For more information on bike models, pricing and dealers visit buddybike.com or call 786.489.BIKE (2453).

About Nana’s Wish
Nana’s Wish was established by Tosha N. Dunn and Sean A. Navarro to honor Rosa B. Sablan, their grandmother “Nana,” for her love and devotion to children and families. Nana was a caregiver to the young and elderly and a foster parent to kids who have been abused. She gave from her heart; never expecting anything in return. Nana opened her home and her wallet to help and taught the importance of sharing and caring for one another. The Mission of Nana's Wish is to facilitate public awareness of at-risk youth and families through education, coalition building, dialogue and advocacy in efforts to improve their health, welfare and quality of life. For more information about Nana’s Wish visit nanaswish.org.

About “A Bike From Austin”
The “A Bike From Austin” program was founded by Nana’s Wish in 2010 when Austin, a young boy with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) and autism asked Nana’s Wish for a Buddy Bike. The “A Bike From Austin” program has assisted in funding four Buddy Bikes through this program and plans to continue the program in 2012. To learn more about the “A Bike From Austin” program or to donate, contact Nana’s Wish at info@nanaswish.org.

CONTACT:
Shelley Patterson
shelley@buddybike.com
786.489.BIKE (2453)

Electronic release available at: buddybike.com/PressRoom.html