St. Charles event on Saturday to help raise funds for youngster paralyzed in Highland Park shooting

Tammy Simmons wants to help Cooper Roberts be a kid again.

The 8-year-old Cooper is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot during the Highland Park Fourth of July parade shooting. Simmons is director of development of the nonprofit group Project Mobility.

Project Mobility’s mission is to provide children, adults and wounded soldiers with disabilities with adaptive bikes. As part of the group’s 6th annual Hops for Hope 5K fundraising event on Saturday at Mount St. Mary Park in St. Charles, the group will be raising funds to purchase Cooper a handcycle.

“He will propel the bike with his hands,” Simmons said. “We’re just going to raise money to help Cooper get that part of his life back.”

Proceeds from the event will support Project Mobility’s mission. The event will feature a brew fest for the first time that will feature about 30 breweries.

For more information and to register, go to hopsforhope5k.com. Those who want to participate in the 5K can register online or at the event. The 5K will start at noon and the brew fest will begin at 12:30 p.m. and continue through 5 p.m.

Keely Roberts, Cooper’s mother, was happy to hear about the group’s efforts.

“He has been so devastated about not being able to ride his bike,” Roberts said in a text message to Simmons. “Bike riding is something we really wanted to find a way for him to do again and for him and his twin, Luke, to do together.”

Simmons is also co-owner of The Bike Rack in St. Charles. She is the sister of Hal Honeyman, one of the other owners of The Bike Rack.

He founded Project Mobility. His interest in adaptive cycling was spurred on by his son, Jacob, who was born with cerebral palsy. An adaptive bicycle can cost up to $5,000.

Several adaptive bikes will be presented at the event, including to children who are battling cancer.

“The biggest thing about an adaptive bike is that we are giving people freedom of mobility that they don’t have for many different reasons,” Simmons said. “And for Cooper, he’s a kid. He was riding bikes and playing sports and then everything changed. We want to do what we can to give some of that back to him.”

More information about Project Mobility is available at the group’s website, projectmobility.org.