Seneca County welcomes new chapter of Cycling Without Age

Local nursing home residents and Seneca County Opportunity Center individuals soon will feel the wind in their hair. A Cycling Without Age affiliate has been established in Seneca County, and volunteers are being sought to help carry out the mission of providing rides in trishaws, or specially modified cycles. "The Cycling Without Aging program just warms my heart to think of all the seniors and people with disabilities who will benefit from a simple ride on a bicycle, especially after this past year in which they were denied so much during the pandemic lock-down," said Pat DeMonte, who brought the affiliate to Seneca County. DeMonte is a Seneca County resident who retired as director of Tiffin-Seneca United Way in 2020 and is leading the seven-member volunteer board. The board is seeking volunteers to assist with volunteer drivers ("pilots"), fundraising efforts and volunteer coordination, and also is applying for 501(c)(3) status. A Round-Up volunteer interest meeting is set for Sunday, June 13 from 1:30-3:30 p.m., June 13 at Seneca County Opportunity Center, 780 E. CR 20, Tiffin. Volunteers are asked to register for the meeting by emailing cwasenecacounty@gmail.com with their name, address, phone number and email address. Cycling Without Age started nearly 10 years ago in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ole Kassow started the Cycling Without Age movement in 2012 and began offering free bike rides to local nursing home residents, a release states. Cycling Without Age now is represented in 51 countries, with 2,500 affiliates around the world. The organization is made up of volunteers who assist elderly citizens and those with limited mobility to enjoy life by being able to travel by bicycle as many had done in their youth, the release states. It is a nonprofit agency that uses the skills of volunteer bicyclists who act as the pilots for the trishaws and take the participants on a safe and enjoyable ride where they can appreciate time outdoors. Each pilot receives special training and has a guest rider — a staff member from the nursing facility, a family member of the guest or other CWA volunteer — to assure the safety of their guests. For more information, visit cyclingwithoutage.org.