After the 9/11 attack, President Bush urged Americans to band together and support one another during this tragic time. Schools talked about the devastation and President Bush's request for them was to rally together and raise money for the 9/11 victims and their families.
For a little girl, this was a call for her to help. It was what her heart was aching to do. She came home from school and asked her mother what she could do to raise money for these children who had lost their parents.
Her mother suggested a bake sale. But the little girl just shook her head, telling her mother that if they had a bake sale or even a lemonade stand, it would be her mom that would be doing all the work - not her. You see, this little girl has cerebral palsy and couldn't bake cookies or even make lemonade.
No, this little girl wanted to do it HERSELF, and not have someone else do the work for her. That night she went to bed wondering how she could raise money all by herself and help the victims and their families.
When she awoke, she was excited and told her mother about her plan to raise this money.
She was going to have a Pedal-a-thon. Each week she went to physical therapy and there she would get on a stationary bike and pedal trying to increase her muscle strength. So, she thought, "I will ask people to donate money for every pedal I do on my bike on a set date...probably one month from now so I can train for the big day."
This little girl then set out collecting pledges for her Pedal-a-thon letting those who pledged that currently she could pedal up to eight or ten times.
On her big day - the Pedal-a-thon - there was a group of family and friends to cheer her on. She pedaled 10 rotations, then 20, then 50, then 75 and continued on to pedal up to 164 rotations fully before nearly collapsing from exhaustion. Her coach explained that what she just accomplished was like running a marathon.
And she raised over $1000.00 for the victims and families of 9/11, all on her own. She didn't look at limitations. She was determined to find a way to do what she wanted to do.
