This compassion-filled inspirational initiative has gained a global following in a half-dozen years impacting hundreds of thousands of elders and young people.
Begun in Copenhagen by Ole Kassow who biked to and from work, Cycling without Age is bringing joy and meaning to elders and young people, globally. Ole met Thorkild, a 90-something nursing home resident who’d sit outside his nursing home in the mornings, soaking in the sun’s warmth.
Since bicycling has been a part of Denmark’s culture, Ole figured Thorkild might enjoy a bike ride. He offered to take him in a rented rickshaw. Thorkild enjoyed it so much, Ole realized he was onto something.
Indeed Ole was – more nursing home residents wanted rickshaw rides. From one bike to tens of thousands around the world. From Australia to the USA, Cycling without Age is bringing old and young together in companionship, meaning, and smiles.
… use [rickshaws] as tools for conversations, for creating relationships, and for enhancing the quality of life of everybody involved.
Younger people benefit by learning about the past while home-bound elders share their stories.
As people grow older and die, so do their stories – lost forever. This simple act of kindness, a younger person taking time to change another’s world… and their own.
Such actions have rippled, globally. A doctor even prescribed “Cycling without Age” for a patient who needed to lose weight and get in shape. A young couple “adopted” new “grandparents.”
This is only the beginning.
What one action can you take this week that adds to your life’s purpose and makes one person smile?
For more information
Ole Kassow’s TEDxCopenhagen Speech
