The Blessing Bike

The Blessing Bike is a vehicle to help create connections with people who may not otherwise be able to experience the outdoors. The targeted demographics of the Blessing Bike are families with loved ones experiencing age, health, or disability-related barriers. In August 2018 at age 92, Rosemary Sorce inspired her family to want to make her final season on earth a little more meaningful and enjoyable. Although front passenger bikes existed, the cost of upwards of $5000 was a barrier for any middle-class family. Rosemary’s family, Wade and Jill Houser found a solution: a cargo-style bicycle retrofitted to carry Rosemary. Together, Rosemary and her family ride throughout Boise and Meridian creating smiles and memories. The community embraced Rosemary and her bike and the Housers were inundated with requests for bikes. With a small group of volunteers, they founded the Blessing Bike, a volunteer group. They sell the bike as their cost, and scholarship families with donated funds. To date, the Blessing bikes has built 29 bikes – some to nursing homes, some to families, and three that they were able to fully donate to the Idaho State Veterans homes in Pocatello, Lewiston, and Boise because of generous contributions.