Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Last April 28, Heather and Onick Lewis, lost their two-and-a-half-year-old son, Owen, unexpectedly to Lymphocytic Myocarditis.

“Owen was a healthy, vibrant, active little boy until 24 hours before his passing,” his mother said.

Owen’s parents were immediately overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the Troy community where both are professors at Troy University.

“This community immediately embraced and rallied around us,” Heather said.” Onick and I wanted to show our appreciation for the strong community support by giving back in some way,  Onick is an avid cyclist and Owen loved riding his balance bike. He called their bikes ‘Cool Bikes’ so it didn’t take us, Onick and me, long to realize that we could express our appreciation to the community through ‘O’s Cool Bike Foundation.’”

The Lewis’ foundation has two philanthropic goals – to provide balance bikes to low-income children in southeast Alabama Head-Start facilities through a partnership with OCAP and to provide scholarships to first-generation college students at Troy University majoring in social work, human services, hospitality, tourism or event management.”

The inaugural Owen Wayne Lewis Memorial Ride/Walk will be on April 29, at Troy University’s campus.

All ages and abilities are invited to participate.

“Funds raised from the ride/walk will enable O’s Cool Bike Foundation to donate more bikes and helmets to area low-income children and to fund our scholarships at Troy University,” Heather said.

For more information about O’s Cool Bike Foundation, visit the foundation’s website at www.oscoolbikefoundation.org.