Odyn Carr wants to make people smile. And what better way than with ice cream on a hot summer’s day.
The 11-year-old from Fergus has been seen, in recent weeks, riding on his ‘Rainbow Cream’ bike.
It all began six months ago after the student Victoria Terrace Public School student saved up enough money from delivering newspapers.
“With my big brother, from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, we like to work on a bunch of projects,” Carr said.
“After saving my money from delivering papers, I bought this really trashy ice cream bike that came in two parts. It was in pretty bad shape and the tires were flat. Basically, we fixed it up and turned it into an e-bike. And now, it’s going so great.”
Mike MacKay has been partnered as Odyn’s big brother for the last two years.
Carr’s mother Tiffany Burtch says her son and MacKay got right to work, spending much of last year building the bike.
“Odyn and Mike did something similar where they spent all year working on a soap box car for the soap box derby, and they did it from scratch. They built it from parts that they had found at the dump and just spare wood. It was junky, but it turned out to be something wonderful,” Burtch said.
“They won third place. It was so great. They went 26 km an hour down the road. It was really awesome. So, as proud as I am, I’m not surprised at how well the ice cream bike has gone too, and that Mike and Odyn were able to do it.”
As for the name, 'Rainbow Cream', the inspiration, Carr says, comes from a desire to make the world brighter, and help make his community a better place.
“Right now, in times like these, there isn’t a lot of pride. There might be people who are suffering, and they don’t have anything to be proud of. So, I thought if I can make this, it can be something where everyone can be included,” Carr said.
“Everyone can fit in this space around the bike. And when times are bad, you can take pride in something like this.”
Carr kicked off his cool business venture on Canada Day.
“And I’ve also gone out for a charity event,” he said.
“I haven’t made a schedule yet, but I will be in the Fergus and Elora area. I will probably be going wherever and whenever it’s busiest and when I feel like it. It’s better to go out on a hot day in the summer. But it can get tiring though.”
Since selling ice cream, he says he’s had the opportunity to learn a little about the ‘ins and outs’ of owning his own business.
“In the future, I’m saving money now so that I can one day buy a forge, where a blacksmith works. I want to buy all the materials so that I can make stuff. These days, it’s rare to see a blacksmith,” Carr said.
But right now, Carr says he looks forward to making the summer months a little cooler and brighter for people in his community.
“I like the idea of this being my first steps in helping make a brighter future, the first steps in helping others, and first steps in just having a good life,” Carr said.
“So far, it’s been great and I’m having fun. I hope that I can make some money, but I really just want to try to make the world a better place.”
