'Andi' ready to roll on three wheels
When Andrea "Andi" Wilkins saw her new three-wheeled bicycle for the first time, she used hand signals to convey her approval.
"She stuck her thumb up when she saw it. She did a thumbs-up sign," said Cristina Francis, Wilkins' independent living aide.
Partially deaf and moderately disabled, Wilkins began living on her own for the first time a few months ago when her group home closed. At that home, she loved to ride a three-wheeled bike, which is the only type of bike she can ride.
Since moving to Sacramento, Wilkins has had to live without one of her favorite pastimes - bicycling.
Books of Dreams readers purchased a three-wheeled bicycle for the young woman Francis describes as "happy all of the time."
Francis said she tries to take Andi outside each day. Sometimes Andi watches others play ball; other times she runs races. Now, she can ride her bike.
"Hopefully, we can take it out every day," Francis said of the bike.