Please Donate to Wheels' Big Share - Officer Lewis partners with Wheels for Winners to bring bikes to kids

Watch the video on Vimeo:  https://vimeo.com/1058004862

Madison Police Officer Lewis tells why he values working with Wheels for Winners for 14 years to bring bikes to kids.  He talks about the value of our partnership serving the Allied Learning Center community and why having kids “earn” their bike through community service is important.

Wheels for Winners Supporters,

Thanks to our long-time supporters, in just over two weeks, we have raised 32% of our $22,000 fundraising goal, and our volunteers continue to contribute matching funds to double your donation. Matching funds won't last long, so please help us now by donating at this website (https://www.thebigshare.org/organizations/wheels-for-winners) 

Our group of 40 dedicated volunteers have been outdoing themselves in more ways than we can count. Last year they overhauled 379 donated bikes, spending as many as 3 hours per bike, regreasing bearings and replacing chains, brakes and other worn parts. Over 16 different volunteers attended 34 community bike events where they repaired 548 bikes at no charge to participants. These same talented folks also helped 431 bike earners select the right bike from our inventory and ensured that these bike recipients had properly fitting helmets. 

Your donations mean so much to us, our bike "earners" and repair recipients.  We cannot do this without you! 

 - The Wheels for Winners team

Week Two Wheels' Big Share Fundraiser - Exciting News!

Dear Supporters and Friends of Wheels,

 - Thanks to the generosity of our friends, in just one week we have raised over 26% of our $22,000 fundraising goal!  

 - Wheels' volunteers give over $10,000 to match your contributions! 

 - Don’t wait - Double your gift and your impact by donating at this website: 

(https://www.thebigshare.org/organizations/wheels-for-winners)

Madison police officer gives a Wheels' bike to this happy young rider at Allied Learning Center.

Small Budget – Big Impact – Lots of SMILES!

 “Thank you for the bike! I am going to ride it to the park, my friends’ houses and practically everywhere.” - Middle school bike recipient

Wheels is 100% volunteer = 100% of your donation goes to support our mission!  

Big Impact - Our 2024 accomplishments included:

• Providing 452 refurbished bikes - To earners who volunteered 10 or more hours of community service, a 14% increase from 2023.

• Providing 358 new bike helmets and 343 locks to earners who needed them. 

• Free bike repairs focused on lower income communities -Delivered 34 free community bike repair events, repairing 548 bikes at no charge, a 63% increase from 2023.

• Supporting healthy lifestyles for children, helping them experience the freedom and joy of owning and riding a bike.  Many students also use their bike to get to school.

• Providing children's bikes to community partners - Provided 104 bikes to members and residents of long-time community partners, a 13% increase from 2023.

• Supporting sponsored refugees - Provided refurbished bikes, helmets and locks to refugees through Open Doors for Refugees and the Stoughton Resettlement Project.  Biking helps new refugees get acclimated to their new neighborhood, and get to school and volunteer activities.

• Contributing to cleaner air in our neighborhoods – By giving out refurbished bikes versus the manufacturing of new bikes, we saved bikes from landfills, eliminating the equivalent CO2 of 13.5 gas-powered vehicles driven for a year (based on EPA estimates).

       Our bike earners and repair recipients thank you for your support!

Thank you,

The Wheels for Winners Volunteers

Annual Fundraising Kicks Off

Dear Wheels for Winners Supporters and Friends,

Our Annual Fundraiser Starts Now - Community Shares: The Big Share – February 1 to March 4

Each year The Big Share campaign is our main annual fundraising event providing 80% of our yearly operating budget.  

• You can help us reach the $22,000 fundraising goal by donating at the website below.

Wheels’ volunteers believe in what they do so strongly they have contributed over $10,000 in match funding!

https://www.thebigshare.org/organizations/wheels-for-winners

Wheels is a 100% volunteer organization, so all your donation goes to support our mission and program activities. Your donations will help us promote cycling in critical ways.  Not only do we enable people to own bikes based on their service to the community, but we are present in the community to actively support cycling.  Our repair events keep bikes rolling, and our sponsorship of community rides provides safe and enjoyable opportunities to ride.  

A huge thanks to our friends whose generosity has kept us in business for over 32 years. Your support is deeply appreciated!  We could not do this without you! 

 2024 Annual Report

Started in 1992, we are 32 years and counting, and 41 volunteers strong!

Our 2024 Annual report is now available online.  Read about our impacts in the community and check out the report at https://wheelsforwinners.org/annual-report.

New Year – New Shop Hours on Tuesdays

The shop is now open on Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with the addition of a 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. shift.  The last two months of 2024 we trained a new crew of volunteer “wrenchers” (mechanics) so we could add hours on Tuesday afternoon. 

In 2024, we added Friday hours and are now open to the public Monday - Friday.  We still have limited hours every day so, check our website or Facebook page to make sure we will be open when you plan to stop by.

 Shop Hours
229 So. Fair Oaks Ave., Madison. The entrance is in the alley at the back of the building.

 Monday: 12:30 - 4 PM and 6 - 8 PM

Tuesday: 12:30 - 8:00 PM

Wednesday: 12:30 - 4 PM and 6 - 8 PM

Thursday: 12:30 - 4 PM and  6 - 8 PM

Friday: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

 2025 Free Bike Repair Events Calendar

Last year our outreach coordinator extraordinaire, Alan Crossley, and W4W volunteer mechanics hosted 34 community-based, repair events.  We repaired 548 bikes, a huge 63% increase from 2023, with community partners like Kennedy Heights and Bayview Community Centers, Centro Hispano, Goodman South Library and at the Ride the Drive event.

Repair events occur spring through fall.  Check in April for our early 2025 schedule at: https://wheelsforwinners.org/free-repair-events.

If you have suggestions, questions, or comments, please email them to wheelsforwinners@gmail.com  

 Sincerely,

The Wheels for Winners Team

Providing refurbished bikes to people doing volunteer community service for over 32 years!