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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.