Glenview/Northbrook, IL – No Biking!

July 28, 2010

We were invited for one last event with Independence First in Milwaukee, a power lunch to celebrate their achievements over the years. One focus of the lunch was the biking buddies program that we went to a few days ago. The lunch ended with guest speaker Lou Ferrigno, body builder, and the actor who played the incredible hulk in the original TV series. We found out that he grew up hearing impaired, and heard how he used body building to build his self confidence, and to help people look past his disability.

Because the lunch was so late in the day, we didn’t have time to ride to Glenview, so we loaded up the vans and drove the hour and a half to our next stop. Along the way we had some fun with a few Mad Libs, and ended with some van karaoke. The drive was over in no time as we pulled into Pump it Up, a play place with many blowup rides, including a moon walk, a few slides and an obstacle course. It was here that we met with some kids and staff from A Big Blast, a gymnastics company that serves people with disabilities throughout the Chicago area. We stayed and had dinner with this group and then headed back to our lodging at the YMCA.

For the first time in a while we had some time off this evening, and my friends (and sponsors!) the Biretas happen to live in the area, so I gave them a call and had a chance to catch up a little bit with them.