Special Bike for an Exceptional Boy

When 12-year-old Jacob Adler tried out a bicycle at a trade show in West Orange last year, he was able to ride around the exposition floor. This was a remarkable event for Jacob, who has suffered from cerebral palsy since birth and is dependent on a wheelchair. Jacob’s parents Hillel and Debby Adler of Dickerson Road knew immediately that the bicycle would help Jacob become more mobile and give him greater opportunities to interact with other children.

“He had a bike in the past but he outgrew it,” said Hillel Adler. “We saw that this new bike was lighter and had more features. He was fitted on it and was riding around the exhibit with a big smile on his face.”

But the $4,000 price tag was prohibitive.

That is when Friendship Circle stepped in.

The Paramus-based organization, established seven years ago, provides a variety of support and assistance to children families with special needs and their families.

“We are a social organization. We match volunteer to kids with special needs. They go to the children’s home and have a weekly play date. Many of these kids do not have anyone,” said Zeesy Grossbaum, who directs the organization from her Paramus basement.

Other activities include winter and summer camps, cooking clubs for children with special needs and events that include the entire family.

“We are constantly adding new programs,” said Grossbaum.

The organization is affiliated with the Chabad House on Kenwood Place in Teaneck where Grossbaum’s husband Rabbi Moshe Grossbaum runs youth programs.

Although 95 percent of its clients are Jewish, Friendship Circle serves children of all faiths or none.

“We turn no one away,” said Grossbaum.

The organization began with four families and eight volunteers and now helps more than 150 families on a weekly basis and has close to 500 teenage volunteers, she said.

Grossbaum emphasizes that Friendship Circle is not a medical program. “We never ask a family for a diagnosis. We are happy to help with anything that falls under the umbrella of special needs,” she said.

Clients include children with a variety of disorders, including autism, cerebral palsy and Down’s syndrome.

Jacob, who attends Sinai Special Needs Institute on Palisade Avenue, has been a Friendship Circle client for about three years. Grossbaum recalls Debby Adler calling her soon shortly after the expo.

“She said that they had seen this bike that Jacob was actually able to ride. He is in a wheelchair and does not move his legs at all. It was incredible therapy for him,” said Grossbaum.

A teenage volunteer who had been visiting Jacob also found out about the bike and decided to take the initiative to raise money to purchase it.

Several of the teenagers conducted a bake sale at their school. Others prepared packages for children going to camp, which they sold for $25 each.

Working together, the teenagers raised the entire sum to purchase the bicycle, which was presented to Jacob on June 22.

The bicycle actually has three wheels and is equipped with extra wide pedals. It has both rider operated handbrakes and a brake in the rear that can be controlled externally.

One of the outstanding features of the bike is that it only moves when peddled. “It doesn’t coast like an ordinary bike. If Jacob wants to ride downhill, he needs to peddle,” said Hillel Adler.

He added, “The smile on Jacob’s face when he rode that bike cannot not be recaptured.”