Riding Toward Independence: Westcliff and iCan Bike Bring 5-Day Camp Back to Irvine

The sound of wheels rolling across the floor, volunteers cheering from the sidelines, and families celebrating each new milestone filled The Rinks – Irvine Inline as Westcliff University once again welcomed children and families for the iCan Bike Camp.

For the fourth consecutive year, Westcliff sponsored the annual camp, hosted in partnership with Rady Children’s Health and iCan Bike, an international nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities learn to ride conventional two-wheel bicycles.

Over the course of the week, approximately 40 riders worked toward a goal that can seem simple but represents something much bigger: riding a bike independently. More than 100 volunteers from across Southern California joined them, including Westcliff students, staff, and community members.

For many families, the experience is about far more than learning a new skill. It is about freedom, confidence, and the possibility of doing something independently that they may have once been told was out of reach.

More Than Learning to Ride

Bike Camp has been helping children with disabilities get on two wheels for more than 15 years. Riders begin on specially adapted bicycles designed to provide stability. As they build confidence and balance, the bikes gradually become less stable, preparing riders for the transition to a conventional two-wheel bicycle.

“This is what I look forward to the entire year,” said Katrina Marr, floor supervisor for iCan Bike Camp. “Getting to see the smiles and everybody out and riding throughout the week.”

The progression is intentional. Riders are given the support they need at the beginning, then gradually challenged to find their own balance and control.

As the week progresses, something changes. A rider who may have needed significant support on Monday can begin pedaling more independently by Thursday or Friday. For families watching from the sidelines, those moments can carry an extraordinary amount of meaning.

“You see the joy on the parents’ face when they’re sitting on that bike,” Marr said, “and you can see the hope that they’re going to be able to do something more inclusive with their family or with their friends.”

That hope is at the heart of Bike Camp.

The Moment of Letting Go

For Dr. Ramin Baschshi, Vice President of Restorative Care and Community Support Services for Rady Children’s Health, the significance of the camp goes beyond the physical accomplishment of riding a bicycle.

She has been involved with Bike Camp for nearly a decade and has seen countless families experience the moment when their child finally rides independently.

“Riding a bike is a coming of age,” Dr. Baschshi said. “When you ride on two wheels, the ability to have the strength and the power to do it on your own, we give that back to these kiddos.”

She understands the feeling personally as a parent. “Because it is your first moment that you’re letting go,” Dr. Baschshi said. “You are not there by their sides, holding their hands. You are watching them do something independently.” For parents and caregivers, that moment can be just as powerful as it is for the rider.

Dr. Baschshi recalled one camper who arrived on Monday reluctant to even get on the bike. The rider struggled, falling repeatedly as volunteers patiently encouraged him to keep trying. Then, late in the week, something clicked.

By Friday, the same child completed a full circle around the rink. His parents were in tears. His siblings gathered around, amazed that their younger brother had accomplished something independently for the first time.

It is one of the memories that has stayed with Dr. Baschshi over the years, and one that captures why Bike Camp continues to bring families back year after year.

A Community That Shows Up

Making those breakthroughs possible takes more than specialized equipment. It takes a community willing to run alongside a rider, encourage them after a fall, celebrate every small improvement, and keep believing in them.

More than 100 volunteers traveled from across Southern California to participate, including members of the Westcliff community. For Amy DiBello, Westcliff’s Director of Alumni Affairs and Career Services, this year marked her fourth Bike Camp.

“We look forward to it every year,” DiBello said of Westcliff’s volunteers. “It is a great bonding experience with the kiddos and also with each other.”

The enthusiasm is genuine. DiBello said volunteers regularly ask to return for additional sessions, even multiple times in the same day. For her, the reward comes from seeing the freedom that riders experience as they gain independence.

“You see the glee and excitement in their eyes and the freedom that comes with riding a bicycle that we all have experienced,” she said.

That spirit of giving back is at the heart of Westcliff Cares, the University’s initiative dedicated to creating meaningful opportunities for our community to serve, connect, and make a difference. Through Westcliff Cares, students, faculty, and staff come together with community partners to support causes that create a lasting impact within the community. 

Justin Hernandez, Senior Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing at Westcliff University, said the commitment is about turning those values into action.

“It’s one thing to have the core values posted on your website,” Hernandez said. “It’s another thing to actually create committees around each one of them, and ensure that our team members are living the values that we want to see.”

Bike Camp is one example of that commitment in action.

Creating Opportunity for Families

Westcliff’s sponsorship also helps make the camp accessible to families by allowing approximately 40 campers to participate at no cost.

Families travel from throughout Southern California to take part, creating a community that extends well beyond Irvine. Through the partnership between Westcliff, Rady Children’s Health, and iCan Bike, riders receive access to the specialized equipment, instruction, and support that help them work toward riding independently.

“By being one of the main sponsors of this event we’re able to provide an opportunity where campers are able to attend absolutely free,” Hernandez said.

The impact of that opportunity can extend far beyond the rink.

Learning to ride can mean being able to join a sibling on a bike ride, participate in an outdoor activity with friends, or simply experience the independence that comes from moving forward on two wheels.

And while the goal may be to ride independently by the end of the week, every rider’s journey looks different. Some reach two wheels. Others make meaningful progress toward that goal. Every accomplishment is celebrated.

More Than a Volunteer Experience

For Westcliff volunteers, Bike Camp is also an opportunity to learn. “Volunteering is absolutely educational,” DiBello said. “It is at the core of the practical learning experience. And then you get the joy of receiving.”

The relationships formed during the week often last long after the bikes are put away.

DiBello has remained in contact with some campers she met during previous Bike Camps and looks forward to seeing returning riders each year. Those connections are part of what keeps volunteers coming back.

She remembers one former camper from several years ago who has since gone on to become a preschool teacher. DiBello even wrote her a letter of recommendation as she pursued her next chapter.

Those lasting relationships are a reminder that Bike Camp isn’t simply about what happens during one week in August. The confidence, connections, and memories created during the camp can continue to shape what comes next.

A Celebration of Possibility

By Friday, the atmosphere at Bike Camp takes on a different energy.

Riders who spent the week practicing balance, building confidence, and pushing through challenges take their final laps before participating in the camp’s closing celebration. Volunteers form a human arch, cheering as each rider makes their way through to receive a certificate.

For DiBello, it is one of the most meaningful moments of the week. “They’ve surprised us, they’ve surprised themselves,” she said. “And you can see it in their eyes and in their smiles.”

That feeling captures what makes Bike Camp so special. The biggest breakthroughs aren’t always measured by how far a rider travels or how quickly they learn to balance. Sometimes they are found in the moment a child realizes they can do something they weren’t sure was possible. And sometimes, they are found in the faces of the parents watching them.

Riding Forward

After more than 15 years, Bike Camp continues to create those moments for children and families. For Rady Children’s Health, the hope is to eventually expand the program and provide the opportunity to even more riders.

For Westcliff, the partnership is another way to put its commitment to community and social responsibility into practice, bringing students, staff, families, and community partners together around a shared purpose.

And for the riders themselves, the accomplishment is beautifully simple: a bike, two wheels, a little balance, and the freedom to move forward on their own. As the final cheers fade and the riders head home, the lessons of the week remain. Some campers leave riding independently. Others leave with newfound confidence and a reason to keep trying.

All of them leave knowing that a community of people was willing to ride alongside them.