New adaptive bike for Mount Forest boy, thanks to local legion and Lion's Club
A Mount Forest family is thanking the community and local groups for getting an adaptive bicycle for their 5-year-old son.
The Gowing's have two boys, fraternal twins named Korbin and Colton.
When Korbin was born he suffered a brain bleed and was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
While caring for Korbin has been costly, his parents didn't want to hold their son back.
"There are so many costs associated with having a child with exceptionalities that some people don’t know about," said Angela Gowing, Korbin's mother.
She and her husband approached the Mount Forest Lions Club and Royal Canadian Legion Branch 134 for help buying an adaptive bike.
"We were just happy with whatever they would be willing to donate," Angela explained. "We didn’t have a set number in mind."
The Lions Club said the adaptive bike was more than $5,000, money they gathered at various fundraising events.
"There's a lot of the general public that maybe doesn’t realize how much the Lions Club can help," said Crystal Johnson, from the Mount Forest Lions Club.
The Legion said it is was all worth it once they saw Korbin’s reaction to his new set of wheels.
"When you see that kind of reaction and that kind of happiness in a little boys face," said Derek Moore, from the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 134. "That’s what we do this for."
Angela said his smile "lit up the world" when he saw his new bike.
He also has an identical one he uses at school.
Korbin's journey to get the bike was posted on social media community groups.
Both his parents said Korbin is now a local celebrity in the neighbourhood and he gets stopped when he’s riding around.
The Gowings added that they can’t thank the community enough for helping their son get his dream bike.
Korbin can be spotted riding around his block everyday with Colton. His only goal now is to be faster than his brother.
"Pretty soon we’ll be able to race each other," Korbin said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.
Woman, 18, killed by co-worker's vehicle on Highway 1 in Moose Jaw
Moose Jaw police say an 18-year-old woman who was at work has died from injuries she sustained in a collision with a vehicle being driven by her co-worker last Thursday.