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Benjamin Brunson, a second-grader at Rebecca M Johnson School in Springfield, on Thursday, April 13, climbed into the driver's seat of his custom-built accessibility tricycle decked out in all of the best Batman kit a boy could want.
The trike was a gift from Bob "the bike man" Charland, an honorary deputy with the Hampden County Sheriff's Department. The Bike Man even called in a few favors from his superhero pals to help celebrate Benjamin's new ride.
Firefighters and police from Springfield, Chicopee, West Springfield, and Holyoke and paramedics from American Medical Response donned capes and cowls dressed as Batman, Robin, Captain America, and the Flash, among others, to give Benjamin his gift.
"It was something so special," said Michelle L. Norman, the school's family liaison. "(Benjamin) was so happy, and his parents were so thankful. It was just so, so special."
Norman even showed up to the event dressed as Benjamin's fairy godmother.
Brunson suffers from a genetic disorder called Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome, which limits his mobility and can make finding toys or bikes that are adaptive to his condition difficult.
Charland understands this all too well because his youngest son has Down Syndrome.
"I want these kids to have a chance to be kids and play with as few limitations as possible," Charland said. "... I also want them to see that cops aren't just a badge and a gun. We're people who care. We're a part of your community."
The adaptive bicycles aren't cheap. They can cost upwards of $2,000 and often aren't covered by insurance. Charland builds them by hand — sometimes modifying an existing bike or tricycle and others starting from raw steel. And they're each made to grow with the child.
Charland doesn't just build adaptive bikes. He also makes traditional ones for low-income children and others through his nonprofit Pedal Thru Youth.
Charland founded the organization in 2017, shortly after he was diagnosed with a terminal neurodegenerative disease.
Since then, he's built and donated 4,000 bikes — all for free. The kids also receive a helmet, a water bottle, a bike lock, and a safety demonstration. The cop in Charland shines through.
In Benjamin's case, his helmet and water bottle were Batman themed to match the motif of his tricycle.
Charland doesn't build them all. He has a lot of help at the nonprofit's four shops — many of them are children, including Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops to youth offenders who owe community service hours.
And The Bike Man makes it a point to have the people who built the bike give them away.
"Those are the moments that you can't put into words," he said. "The looks on their faces. The looks on the parent's faces. ... It's indescribable."
For more information on Pedal Thru Youth or to donate, visit their website at www.pedalthruyouth.org.
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