Clinton: Pedaling a bicycle may seem like child’s play, but it can have significant mental health benefits for adults.
That’s why the veterans support organization Wheels4Change works to get vets on bikes. And it’s why the group will soon make bicycles available for veterans to borrow at Ohio Veterans’ Memorial Park.
The organization is building a bike shed near the park entrance, where vets and their families can borrow bikes for a free to ride in the park or on the nearby Towpath Trail. Wheels4Change already has 25 donated bicycles ready to go and will start lending them out as soon as the shed is finished, which might happen as early as next weekend, founder Cassie Schumacher said.
Schumacher, a licensed counselor, said the purpose of the project is to encourage veterans to become physically active as a way of managing post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition experienced by many who’ve served in combat. Studies have linked PTSD to suicide, which Schumacher said kills an average of 22 veterans and one active-duty service member every day.
“Best antidepressant out there by far is physical fitness,” she said. She particularly encourages veterans to exercise together, which builds the camaraderie they had in the military.
In addition to the bike loans, Wheels4Change also runs a give-back program that allows veterans to earn their own bicycles in exchange for service work.
Massillon residents Jody and Janice Stevenson volunteer at Ohio Veterans’ Memorial Park and jumped in to help with the construction of the bike shed because they liked the way the program complements the park’s mission of serving veterans in a nonjudgmental way.
“This is something we just found out about, and I think it’s fabulous,” Janice Stevenson said.
Jody Stevenson, a disabled Army veteran, knows firsthand the destructive force of PTSD. For him it led to nightmares, alcohol abuse, divorce and one near suicide attempt, he said.
Keeping busy helps him remain physically and emotionally healthy, so he appreciates the benefits biking can have for his fellow veterans.
“It gives them something to do except sit at home and stew and get drunk,” he said.
The shed was designed by the park’s president, Ken Noon, and is being built by volunteers who are mostly veterans.
Some of the workers were ordered to help by Judge Amy Corrigall Jones of Summit County Valor Court, a specialized court for veterans.
Even though those vets were sentenced to help, they did so willingly, Schumacher said. “She mandates them, but they give a lot more than what’s expected.”
Once the shed is finished, bikes of various sizes will be available on the honor system, Schumacher said. While the bikes are intended for veterans, no one will be required to produce any military ID to borrow one.
“We’re going to trust that people in good faith will do the right thing,” she said.
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MBBreckABJ, follow her on Twitter @MBBreckABJ and read her blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/mary-beth.