Owen Wayne Lewis was always quick to laugh, smile, learn and ride on his “cool” bike. His story continues to touch the hearts of many individuals through O’s Cool Bike Ride and Walk event.
This second annual event will take place on April 27 and will serve as a fundraiser to assist in supplying bikes to be donated to nearby Head Start programs as well as assisting in funding the Owen Wayne Lewis Memorial Scholarship at Troy.
On April 28, 2022, Owen unexpectedly passed away from Lymphocytic Myocarditis, an inflammatory disease of the muscular tissue of the heart. He was two years old.
Shortly after his passing, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis launched O’s Cool Bike Foundation. This foundation was created to collect balance bikes for the children in the Troy Head Start program.
“This helps to celebrate Owen and how sweet and amazing of a child he was and just to keep his memory alive,” said Heather Lewis, Owen’s mother, who is an associate professor of hospitality management. “Every aspect of this event is all about Owen.
“Down to the colors, the dinosaur themes and everything that he loves.”
“It started as a labor of love of just us trying to find a way to cope with the loss and as a result, it blew into something much bigger than we ever expected it to be,” said Onick Lewis, Owen’s father and a social work lecturer and program director. “The initial idea behind this was what would Owen enjoy for that day, and that’s what makes the bike ride what it is.
“He loved his bike, I love my bike and it’s just a way to blend a kid event with an adult event that he would enjoy.”
Helmets and 100 balance bikes have been delivered to OCAP Centers across three countries thanks to the generosity of numerous donors.
“It’s a bittersweet moment,” Onick Lewis said. “I love the fact that we are able to do this, but I hate the circumstances that we have to do it.
“It’s great to see the support from the people that we have connected with. It’s good to see that what we are doing impacts them and them helping to impact us.”
In addition to partaking in this event, participants will receive a finisher medal, t-shirt, food, drink and a day of engaging activities. Individuals can choose between different miles bike ride options as well as the 1.2 mile walk. All ages and abilities are welcomed.
All in all, Owen’s love of bike riding will be shared with others through this eventful field day including bike rides, face paints and bounce houses.
“From an emotional standpoint, it never gets easier to develop this event because of the back story and reason that we do it,” Heather Lewis said. “With the growth that we see each year, though, it is really heartwarming to witness and see because with the growth we are also going to see this foundation grow and more people be touched as a result of our effort.”
Owen Wayne Lewis Memorial Bike Ride will start at 8 a.m.
In the morning on April 27. An exclusive discount to Troy University students, faculty, and staff is 10% off the cost of registration. Use code TROJANS for this deal. This offer will last up to April 15th.
For more information or to get registered, visit www.bikereg.com/oscoolbikeridewalk.
For those who can not make it that day but wish to participate, join Virtual Raptor Trot/Ride at your own location, snap a picture, and share it to O's Cool Bike Foundation social media accounts.
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