Electric bikes donated to Travis Mills Foundation

ROME – The gift of movement has been given to the Travis Mills Foundation in the form of 10 electric bikes from Juiced.
The bikes were delivered to the foundation on Castle Island Road this summer, for the use of veterans retreat participants and their families.
The donation was made possible through the teamwork of Gregory Maassen, founder of ebikelovers.com; Kerri Kauffman, vice president of marketing at Juiced Bikes; and Heather Mason, president of National Bicycle Dealers Association.

The e-bikes will allow participants who might not otherwise be physically able to ride an upright two-wheel bike to ride. Travis Mills Foundation Chief Operating Officer Kelly Roseberry said, “They provide an opportunity for or participants to get out and do something physically challenging together as a family. These are activities that may seem common to most people, but for someone missing a lower limb, it might be impossible without the power assist these bikes provide. We have been lucky enough to witness firsthand how much joy these bikes can provide.”
The Travis Mills Foundation supports recalibrated veterans and their families through various programs at its retreat, which help these heroic men and women overcome physical and emotional obstacles, strengthen their families and provide well-deserved rest and relaxation.
The organization’s founder, U.S. Army SSG (Ret.) Travis Mills, coined the term “recalibrated veteran” after he lost portions of all of his limbs in an IED explosion during his third tour in Afghanistan in 2012. He didn’t want to refer to himself as a wounded warrior – his wounds had healed. He had to re-examine his life and correct it in accordance with his new way of life and purpose.
Ebikelovers.com is the country’s leading e-bike community organization, and Massen assembled the Juiced e-bikes himself at the retreat.
“E-Bikes are an outstanding mobility solution for millions of riders around the world,” Massen said. “For this program, we wanted to provide reliable, safe and versatile bikes that are also incredibly fun to ride. Juiced Bikes is a trusted U.S.-based brand that clearly meets all of these requirements.”
Maassen watched as recalibrated veterans and their families biked on asphalt and gravel with ease.
“I saw many smiles today,” he said.
Kaufman, of Juiced, said, ‘We feel extremely honored to support the Travis Mills Foundation. Their efforts to support America’s heroes with extremely valuable recalibration services are an inspiration to the entire Juiced Bikes team and align with our company’s own mission of creating mobility solutions designed to empower riders and amplify individual potential.”
Heather Mason, president of the National Bicycle Dealers Association, helped facilitate the connection between Juiced Bikes and the foundation, through the assistance of colleague Jay Townley of Human Powered Solutions.
“It gives us great pleasure to see the industry continue to support each other and the opportunity that e bikes can provide,” Mason said.
The weekend the bikes were assembled at the Foundation, Roseberry and her family went for a test ride. “My husband is an amputee and recalibrated veteran who works for the foundation as well, and we haven’t been on a family bike ride since our 2-year-old daughter was born,” Roseberry said. “It was an absolute game-changer.”