Local Youth Hockey Player Gifts Caps-Themed Adaptive Bike

There was not a dry eye in the media area at MedStar Capitals Iceplex as 13-year-old Ilan Shterenberg presented a Washington Capitals-themed adaptive bike to 8-year-old Lamar Collado on Feb. 15.

For Shterenberg, the presentation was the culmination of more than seven months of hard work. For Collado, the bike meant a brighter future. For everyone else in attendance, the moment represented a powerful display of selflessness and compassion.
"Honestly, it's pretty inspiring stuff," said Tom Wilson, who attended the presentation. "I think we need more kids like that in the world that go out and take initiative. It doesn't matter how old you are. He's making a difference in a young child's life and for their family."
Shterenberg received special permission from the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation (HLF) to be their only Young Ambassador in the class of 2022 representing Washington, D.C. Applications are usually only open to kids from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. As part of his duties as a Young Ambassador for the HLF, Shterenberg was required to complete an independent service project.
His uncle works in the mobility industry and has shared stories about Freedom Concepts' adaptive bikes impacting the lives of children. These bikes serve as a piece of adaptive physical therapy medical-grade equipment that are custom-built to a child's strength. While normal bikes may only last for a few years, as children can grow out of them quickly, adaptive bikes can last a child a very long time, since the bike grows with the child.
With Freedom Concepts having previously collaborated with a handful of NHL teams on adaptive bikes and Shterenberg being a big-time Capitals fan, he knew exactly what he wanted to do for his project.

"This project just combined my two passions: helping others and my love of hockey," said Shterenberg. "I've been playing hockey since I was eight years old, but I've been a Caps fan all my life, and I started watching Caps games as soon as I could understand what hockey is when I was four. So honestly, the Caps and hockey in general are one thing and just giving back to the community that has been so great to me."
Next up was Shterenberg choosing a recipient for the bike. One of the initial requirements to be selected was the family had to be Capitals fans. Despite not being familiar with the Capitals or even sports in general, the Collados still applied.
Their son Lamar has epilepsy, low muscle tone, and other conditions, which affect his gross and fine motor skills. He requires 24/7 care, so only one of his parents is able to work to support the family. That makes it even harder to save up for adaptive equipment needs, since health insurance does not cover adaptive equipment.
After hearing their story and speaking with the family, Shterenberg decided to waive the requirement and pick them.
On her reaction to being chosen, Lamar's mother Marissa Collado, said, "I said, 'Are you kidding me?' We weren't even qualified because we were non-sports people."
She added, "When we got to the interview part, I just poured my heart out. I said, 'I'm not even sure if you guys are going to choose us, but if you do, we're forever grateful.'"
With Lamar serving as the face of the project now, Shterenberg began trying to raise the funds necessary to build the bike. He said this is the first NHL adaptive bike to be funded by community efforts. His fundraising led to 85 donations from 83 different donors online ($6,575) and 5 donations by check from 4 different donors ($1,360) for a total of $7,935.
On what this support meant to him, Shterenberg said, "It just shows how the hockey community can be brought together to make someone's life better."

This specific bike is specially designed to provide extra support and stability while cycling and will help Lamar with exercise, mobility, and his cognitive performance skills. It is essential for Lamar's daily activities, improving his quality of life, and enabling him to socialize with others.
"The stuff we take for granted is the walking, the talking, and the moving," said Marissa Collado. "But now, Lamar is going to be there. He can even push [the bike] if he chooses to, so if he truly gets excited, he can join in on all things now."
After Shterenberg presented the Collados with the bike at the Capitals' practice facility, it was time for Lamar to take it for a test drive. He seemed to immediately feel at ease on it and even started to try to pedal on his own.
"To see that very first pedal, we've never seen him do that," said Marissa Collado. "My daughter tried hard with him to do adaptive stuff, but he never made it to the first pedal. To witness that, it means a lot."
It was a sight that lifted the spirits of everyone watching and was the perfect end to a special presentation.
"It was fun to be a part of," said Wilson. "The bike was awesome, and I think the family was very appreciative of Ilan's efforts to help them out."

The following weekend, Lamar rode his bike with his sister and cousins. Marissa Collado said that she has never seen her son so happy being around other kids before, and she believes the bike is making therapy fun for Lamar.
In addition to improving his mental health, there have already been signs of his physical health progressing as well. At school, Lamar sat up on his own, and his mom credits the bike for having helped activate muscles that would not typically get much exercise.
"This is very amazing and heartwarming to see," said Shterenberg. "This is the exact reason why I chose this for my independent service project, and it makes me feel even better that Lamar is using the bike, and even after just a week, it is already improving his physical, mental, and emotional health."
Motivated by the success of this project, Shterenberg has plans to continue to fundraise for more bikes for other kids. As he carries on with helping others, he can count on the support of at least one family in particular.
"We're forever grateful to him," said Marissa Collado. "This is not the last, and whatever Ilan decides in the future, we will be part of that to advocate for him because he advocated for our son."
The Collados are not the only ones who believe in Shterenberg.
"When he's older, I think he's going to go on and do big things," said Wilson. "Just his presence, demeanor, and courage to go out and get it done, I think it's pretty cool."
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