Josh Earns loves riding his bike. The 47-year-old has autism that makes him always on the go.
You have probably seen him riding around the area in any kind of weather with his orange hat and bright yellow vest on.
In fact, he rides his bike around 25 miles every time he hops on it from his Sugar Island residence to Sault Ste. Marie and back.
A couple weeks ago, on Feb. 15 and just past noon, Josh was riding his bike across the Business Spur/Ashmun Street in front of Subway when a vehicle hit him, sending him to the hospital.
In what could have been a much worse situation, Josh ended up with only one broken rib and did not need to be admitted.
But his bike was a total loss.
That is when the Sugar Island community, the owner of Soo Cycle Bike Shop, and others stepped up to help Josh get back on his feet and back on a bike.
On the 'I love me some Sugar Island' Facebook page, Debra Sue Cox, in coordination with Soo Cycle Bike Shop, immediately started a fundraiser to get Josh another bike.
Within four hours, $1,000 was raised.
After a check-up with his doctor on Thursday, Josh, his father, Stephen and his stepmother, Raquel Fernandez-Earns, stopped by Soo Cycle Bike Shop to get the new bike.
Inside the store, Soo Cycle Bike Shop owner Kyle Tower and accountant Jennifer VanWinkle were waiting to hand over the $1,000 Trek bike.
"This is what it is all about right here. This warms the heart, for sure. When we initially saw he had the accident, Soo Cycle was going to provide a bike for Josh, but with the outreach from the community, Sugar Island and some locals here, we decided to let them in on the action, and we started a GoFundMe and we raised $1,000 in about four hours. Then we shut it down and picked out a bike for Josh and put on his favorite accessories," Towery said.
Josh's stepmother echoes what Towery said.
"I like to say there are three miracles. One was that he did not get injured with more than one broken rib, considering the nature of the accident. The second is that he healed so quickly, in ten days. The third is how the community came together for him to get him this bike. Kyle called and said he wants to make it right for Josh and get him a bike. I had him talk to Debra Cox who was organizing the fundraising," Raquel said.
Cox knew she had to do something for Josh.
"I’ve known Josh for 30 years, and just seeing him in passing on his bike all the time back and when I would go back-and-forth to work, we would give him a ride if it was storming or rainy. He knew everybody, I think, on Sugar Island, and everybody knew Josh, and so when this happened, Sugar Island was devastated and wanted to help out," Cox said.
