Community Corner

Bike the Basin Registration Kicks Off During Special Event Saturday

Registration for the annual Bike the Basin event will kick off Saturday with a special event at Go Bananas in Richboro.

Registration for the annual Bike the Basin event will kick off Saturday with a special event at Go Bananas in Richboro from 2 to 8 p.m.

The event, organized by Mike and Kristin Smedley of Ivyland, will feature face painting, balloon animals, music, games, photo booth, Bike the Basin registration and more.  

Go Bananas will donate 20 percent of sales all day on Saturday to Bike the Basin.

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The Smedley family has been hosting the Bike the Basin, a fundraiser for the Curing Retinal Blindness Foundation (CRBF), since 2011.  Hundreds of kids ages 1 to 13 ride with their age groups around a half mile track at the Northampton Civic Center.  They also take part in a multi-station bike safety course provided by event partner, Safe Kids Bucks County.  

The Smedleys have two sons that are blind from a very rare degenerative retinal disease. Mutations in the CRB1 gene cause their disease, Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA).  

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Michael, 13, and Mitchell, 9, will lose minimal vision they have by their late teens, according to their mother. The Smedley family has spent almost two years coordinating the CRBF to drive research for their boys’ specific gene with a goal of sight preservation and ultimately vision restoration. 

The mission of the Curing Retinal Blindness Foundation is to fund research to move CRB1 degenerative retinal disease to treatments and cures. 

They have connected with 20 other affected families to help with the effort.  To date, Bike the Basin is the leading fundraiser for the CRBF, according to the Smedleys.

"What’s different and special about this event is it is for kids, by kids. And not only does it raise awareness for retinal diseases, it gets kids active and teaches them bike safety,” said Merrill Reese, voice of the Philadelphia Eagles and supporter of the Smedley family and Bike the Basin.

At Bike the Basin, kids ages 14 and older can volunteer as track guides, face painters, cupcake decorators, bike safety assistants, and much more.  Each year Bike the Basin has had over 150 volunteers at the event, according to organizers.

"The Smedley family enjoys living in a community that is as supportive as Bucks County," the family said in a press release.  "Families, organizations and businesses have been helping to raise the necessary funds for the retinal research.  By hosting lemonade stands, coin collections, donation parties, dress down days, and many other events,  Bucks County and the surrounding communities have helped the Smedley Family be the leading fundraiser for the Curing Retinal Blindness Foundation."

The CRBF is 100 percent volunteer organization.  For information, contact Kristin Smedley, President and Co-Founder, 267.566.9068 or  Kristin@crb1.org

Visit www.bikethebasin.org for more details.


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