O's Cool Bike Foundation

When Onick and Heather Lewis unexpectedly lost their son Owen in 2022, they vowed to turn what was an absolute tragedy, into a legacy to benefit children in Alabama.

O’s Cool Bikes Foundation was created from Owen’s love of his balance bike. Owen received his first balance bike at just a few months old and was riding by the age of 17 months.

The foundation has many goals, with one being to provide as many bikes as possible to lower income children in the Organized Community Action Program (OCAP) Head Start program.

For the foundation’s first year in 2023, 100 balance bikes will be donated. Guardian learned that they were 54 helmets short to meeting their goal of donating a helmet with every bike and were excited to purchase the remaining helmets. Since the start of our partnership in 2023, we have continued to build and strengthen our support of their mission.

Heather and Onick shared,

“When Owen passed away unexpectedly last April from lymphocytic myocarditis, we knew immediately that we needed to find a way to keep Owen's spirit alive for years to come. We knew we wanted to give back to our community in Owen's name in a creative way that spoke to who he was. That was how O's Cool Bike Foundation came to be with the goal in mind to donate balance bikes to low-income children of southeast Alabama. To accomplish this goal, we are donating balance bikes and helmets to OCAP head-start facilities.”

A memorial bike ride will be held each April to celebrate Owen’s life.

The third annual Owen Wayne Lewis Memorial Bike Ride will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Troy, Alabama, on the Troy University Campus.

If you would like to participate in the ride, or become a sponsor, please visit https://oscoolbikefoundation.org/memorial-ride to learn more.