Adventure Cycling Association

This year, we were able to welcome 19 young people with adaptive needs (and their families), plus two adults with adaptive needs on our weekend bike camping trips for free. 

Through our inclusive model, Bike Camping For Everyone, we address the physical, emotional, and social health of our participants. Physical activity such as cycling (as well as immersion in nature) has been associated with improved mental health and psychological well-being. This includes improved self-esteem and moods as well as anxiety management. Our program is able to accommodate participants with a wide range of complex disabilities. These families are often amazed at what is possible with the right expertise and equipment. 

Out Our Front Door serves communities in and around Chicago, including under-resourced and disenfranchised populations. The families and adults we worked with this year came from many Chicago neighborhoods including North Lawndale, Hermosa, Humboldt Park, and many others. 

We had a number of key partners in this endeavor for 2024, including the Chicago Park District, Emily Oaks Nature Center in Skokie, and Cook County Forest Preserves. These partners helped provide the space for our outings, as well as loans from their camping gear libraries. We also worked closely with KEEN Chicago, which serves young people with a variety of disabilities. 

In addition to the eight different overnights, we also led a number of day rides to help recruit for our overnight program. These helped get young people on our bikes, feeling comfortable cycling and helping see the potential in adaptive riding. We also make bike loans to families with the help of our partner, Charlotte’s Tandems US, a national charity that helps us access bikes and funding to cover maintenance and insurance costs.

Five of the overnights were within our standard Family Overnight Program. This is our most inclusive program, as the rides—which last three days and two nights—include both families who have children with disabilities and families whose children do not have disabilities. This is where we see the stigma of disability fall away, as bonds and friendships develop between these families and youth peers both during the ride and around the campfire. 

This year, our project enabled 125 individuals with disabilities to ride bikes, including day rides and bike camping trips. For the bike camping trips, we typically charge $100 per adult and $70 per child for the three days and two nights of guided cycling, camping, and meals. With the Adventure Grant from Adventure Cycling Association we were able to provide the rides for free for all 19 of our young adaptive riders and their family, as well as the two adaptive adult riders. Some of the grant funds also helped cover part of the SAG van rental cost, which supported the cyclists and transported our custom adaptive bikes to the events. 

We can’t thank Adventure Cycling Association enough for supporting our ever-growing Adaptive Program. Find out more about Out Our Front Door here.