Thanks to the generous donation of Enterprise couple Tony Vilardo and his wife Kelly, a wounded warrior, Sgt. Eric Kepler, received a hand-crank recumbent bicycle.
Chuck Seitz, of the Wounded Veterans Steering Committee, said this is the first time the group has made a donation to an individual and not a Warrior Transition Unit.
It all came together after the Warrior Transition Unit in Anniston contacted the group saying they were in need of a recumbent bicycle.
Seitz said Vilardo donated the bike to the Wounded Veterans Steering Committee for donation to a wounded warrior after he wasn’t able to use the bike anymore.
“He’s a local veteran who wanted to pay it forward to a soldier,” said Conrad Stempel, of the steering committee.
Kepler came to Enterprise Monday afternoon with his father-in-law and service dog Diego to pick up the bike.
Kepler, who has limited use of his legs after contracting a disease in Afghanistan in 2012 that developed into nerve and spine damage, said the bike is a blessing.
“I’ll be able to ride it almost everyday,” Kepler said, who currently lives on Redstone Arsenal. “I’ve been trying to get out more and this will be able to help me a whole lot more.”
Kepler said without the donation he might have not been able to have access to the specially made bicycle.
“We looked at used ones, and they’re just about as expensive as the new ones, but then this came along and it’s just such a blessing,” he said.
Kepler said he even has plans to add a trailer to the bike, so he’ll be able to bring Diego along with him on bike rides.
The steering committee invited Kepler to return to Enterprise next May to participate in the city’s annual Boll Weevil 100, which he said he would like to do.
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