Eyes that see the good in things: Dec. 16, 2019

Ten-year-old Riley and her mother, Lynn Christensen, were huddled in front of the family computer one day, checking out models and prices of bikes. Christensen suggested to her daughter that they should pick one out for Riley’s dad’s birthday.

Christensen scrolled down the home page of the Bike Rack, a shop in their town of St. Charles, Ill., and a video link for Project Mobility Hallmark Heroes caught her eye. She clicked on it out of curiosity. It’s a nine-minute video that is worth watching. (If you are reading this online, you can just click on the link to watch the video. If you’re reading the paper version, go to You Tube and type in Project Mobility Hallmark Heroes on their video search bar.)

The video clip the Christensen’s watched told how Bike Rack co-owner Hal Honeyman had created an organization to provide specially engineered bicycles to people with disabilities. It showed the happy faces of those who were riding them— accident victims, injured veterans, and children with disabilities, including Honeyman’s own son, who had been born with cerebral palsy. Christensen looked behind her and saw her 10-year-old daughter’s eyes filled with tears.

“I’m going to buy a bike for one of those kids,” Riley told her mother. Two days later, she showed Christensen a letter she had written asking for donations: “I think it’s amazing for a guy to make bikes for kids who can’t walk,” the letter said. “I saw how happy a boy was when he got one … I’m writing to ask for your help.”

Christensen was blown away by her daughter’s efforts but doubts quickly emerged. The cost of just one of those special bikes could be as high as $4,000. Riley could never raise the money. Nonetheless, her letter went out to 75 relatives and friends. Within three days, checks and cash began arriving. Then word got around about Riley’s campaign, and as Christmas neared, more and more donations rolled in. Riley ultimately raised more than $12,000, enough to pay for three bikes.

Riley, wearing a Santa hat, was able to be there when the bicycles were delivered to three lucky kids: Ava, a 13-year-old girl with spina bifida; Jenny, a 15-year-old girl with cerebral palsy; and Rose, a 4-year-old girl with a rare genetic disorder.

“This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had,” said Riley. She and Ava have since ridden together and she is determined to keep her campaign going every holiday season.

Hal Honeyman’s story with adaptive bicycles came during a tough time of caring for his son who had cerebral palsy, when he and his wife were asking questions that had no immediate answers.

“In the whole experience with our son Jacob, now a young adult, we can look back at a lot of intense, life-or-death moments,” said Honeyman, whose family has operated the Bike Rack in St. Charles for the past 30 years. “And you find yourself asking, ‘What’s this all about?’ “

The answer came to light after building a bike their son could ride and the resulting “higher purpose,” Honeyman said. That purpose was the creation about 11 years ago of Creative Mobility, a program designed to build adaptive bikes for kids and injured veterans with disabilities. The bikes, which cost anywhere between $2,000 and $4,000, end up in the hands of grateful families because of donations.

Riding a bike is a rite of passage for most children but it’s one that parents of some special-needs children never expect to watch their children do. When a child gets on that bike for the first time and realize that they can power it themselves, mom and dad are in tears but their child is all smiles.

Watching his son’s face when he realized that he could make that bike move all by himself is what started the Honeyman’s cause of seeking donations to be able to present bikes as Christmas gifts. A story featuring them was reported in their local newspaper and spotted by producers of the Hallmark Channel, which was looking for “Hallmark Heroes” to show on a Christmas night telecast.

That program aired in conjunction with the Honeyman family delivering donated adaptive bikes over the holidays to three area children.

“The Hallmark show turned out really good for us and we have had people making donations from what they have seen in the newspapers and on TV,” Honeyman said. “They did about 20 hours of filming at the Bike Rack and also our bike day at Pottawatomie Park.”

Honeyman’s sister, Tammy Simmons, works closely with her brother for Creative Mobility and said the TV exposure was “wonderful” and that neighbors of some of the children came through with donations for the bikes.

The Honeymans are also involved with Wounded Warriors and will participate in a Project Mobility bike ride in Florida in a couple of weeks.

“We go down and tune up and fit the bikes for the soldiers,” said Honeyman, adding that 25 bikes have been donated for this cause.

Riley Christensen’s giveaway, which started in 2009, still lives on today in Project Mobility’s Holiday Adaptive Bike Giveaway. Project Mobility’s website says that the Holiday Adaptive Bike Giveaway began in 2009 with a 10-year-old girl named Riley, whose heart was moved when she watched as special needs children were able to ride a bike for the first time.

​Then CBS News found out about Riley’s mission and they aired a story. Shortly after, donations started coming in from across the country! Ever since 2009, Project Mobility heads out on Christmas Eve to surprise children with their very own adaptive bikes! It is such a surprise the parents don’t even know about it! Each year, Project Mobility takes the work that Riley started to surprise more children!

For information on making donations to Project Mobility, visit For information on making donations to Project Mobility, visit http://www.projectmobility.org.

We would love to share local stories about the good things your eyes are seeing.

Stop in to share your stories with us, give us a call at 947-2417 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Or send a letter to Eyes That See the Good in Things, c/o Allison Lindgren, The Transcript 6 8th St N., New Rockford, ND 58356.