Open Doors for Refugees - Talking With a Wheels for Winners Volunteer

Talking With a Wheels for Winners Volunteer

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Alex Houghton, Posted on Open Doors for Refugees - Community Updates (https://opendoorsforrefugees.org/talking-with-a-wheels-for-winners-volunteer/)

Last month, we sat with Harry Bennett to talk about how he helps provide bikes to families. Harry works between Open Doors for Refugees and Wheels for Winners, making sure that newly donated bikes find their way to newly arrived families.

Wheels for Winners

Wheels for Winners provides bicycles, training, and safety gear and lessons “to individuals experiencing challenges in their daily lives who perform community service.” From the recipients, they request in return community service, intending to spread the cheer that their mission provides. Wheels for Winners also works to refurbish and recycle old bikes, providing helpful maintenance for the community.

Interested in getting involved or need help with a repair? Wheels for Winners take walk-ins. Learn more about them here: https://wheelsforwinners.org/our-mission

Harry Bennett’s Volunteer Work

Harry met with Ken and Efrat, the founders of Open Doors, back in 2016. He was already an RPCV member, and recognized that his love for bikes and the environment could extend to helping refugees as well.

And so he became a conduit from Madison’s refugee resettlement partner, Jewish Social Services, to Wheels for Winners, and made it possible for them to provide bikes for newly arrived refugees. When a family arrives in Madison, a case worker from Jewish Social Services would ask them if any or all of them would like a bike, and Harry would jump in from there if they do.

In addition to providing bikes, Harry and others from Wheels for Winners would help teach people how to ride if needed, and provide important safety equipment and lessons. Repair lessons are included as well.

Communication apps often aren’t needed. Bikes tend to be a universal language. Even beyond the critical lessons above, Harry provides useful pointers, advice about good trails in Madison, and more.

As payment, recipients sign an agreement to perform a community service of their choice.

Harry answered a few more questions of ours:

Can you share a pleasant memory regarding the people you’ve provided bikes to?

“The three young men [below] from Tanzania wanted bikes for basic transportation to jobs and such. Madeleine Uraneck picked them up in her car at their apartment in the Allied neighborhood and brought them to Wheels for Winners shop. I rode my bike to the shop to meet them having agreed to ride them home after getting their bikes. We got the bikes and Madeleine was concerned that they did not have gloves, scarves or ear warmers so we arranged to meet at St. Vinnie’s secondhand shop a few blocks from the Wheels for Winners shop.”

“At St. Vinnie’s we found them the warm gear they needed and purchased it for them. From there we had a pleasant seven-mile ride across Madison to their apartment and while they were a bit tired, they were very happy with their fine bikes.”

What is something surprising you’ve learned in your time volunteering with Wheels for Winners and Open Doors?

“The staff at Wheels for Winners are very friendly and helpful to the folks that ODFR brings to the shop for bikes. Here is a touching story from the Wheels for Winners website that demonstrates their feelings.”
Read the story here: https://wheelsforwinners.org/blog/2023/11/29/a-young-syrian-refugee-melts-our-hearts

Do you have advice for anyone who might consider spending more time on a bike?

“I have been on a twenty-year mission to substitute bicycle travel for using an automobile.  In 2024 I biked every day of the year for a total of 11,800 miles as opposed to around 4,500 miles on our car (mostly trips out of town).”

“One of the main concerns with bike travel is time. I have found that travel in the city does not take much longer by bike than by car when you consider parking is usually much closer at your destination and bike routes are sometimes shorter than car routes. Don’t expect to start riding many miles a day right away but allow yourself to build up your bike miles over a period of time as your body adjusts to the physical demands of bike riding.”

Thank you Harry for all of the time and effort you’ve put to this cause!

Recent 2025 Refugee Bike Earners

Even during winter we have community service volunteers coming in for bikes. Wheels was pleased to provide recent sponsored refugees with bikes to help them navigate living in Madison and enjoy their new homes. Since the new federal administration this has been a challenging and uncertain time for them. We wish them the best!

Young men refugees sponsored by Open Doors for Refugees.

A young professional woman and sponsored refugee earns a bike that will help her get to volunteer activities.

Ruth Ann Schoer - A Big Thank You to Wheels' Founder

Wheels’ adventure was launched in 1992 by founder and Dane County Board member Ruth Ann Schoer. In spring of 1993 Wheels collected about 400 donated bikes to refurbish and give out. Youth ”earned” their bike by helping to repair the bike of their choice or perform other community service.

Thank you Ruth Ann for your vision to create Wheels for Winners and make it an "Earn-a-Bike" program through community service.  It has stood the test of time. We have refurbished and provided thousands of bikes to “earners,” more than 450 in 2024 alone.

We now also provide free bike repair events in the warmer months that keep bikes safe and rideable, with 548 bikes repaired in 2024.  We have 41 part-time volunteer mechanics which have allowed the shop to be open to the public Monday through Friday for at least 4 hours a day.

In addition, thank you for your Founder’s Donation to our Big Share 2025 fundraiser! We are extremely grateful!

Early Wheels for Winners Brochure Circa 1993

Early Wheels for Winners Brochure Circa 1993