Please Support our Annual Fundraiser: $13,740 are matching your donations!

Dear Supporters and Friends of Wheels,

Thank you so much for your previous support of our earn-a-bike program!

• Performing 10 hours of volunteer service gets a child or youth a great refurbished bike, new helmet and lock at no charge.

Help us reach our Big Share Fundraising goal of $27,500.

 - Wheels' volunteers are generously matching $11,740 in contributions!

 - Budget Bicycle Center & Planet Bikes are each generously matching $1,000 in contributions.

Double your gift and your impact today by donating at our Big Share webpage.  Please donate today!

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

Wheels is 100% volunteer run - 100% of your donation goes to program activities!  

We focus on working with neighborhood community centers and at city parks to make biking accessible to everyone and keep bikes repaired and safe - all for free!

Two young bike earners do 10 hrs. of volunteer Service to get a free bike, helmet & lock.

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

Big Impact - Our 2025 accomplishments include:

- Record-Breaking Outreach: 1,140 total earner bikes and free repairs provided, a new record.

- Increased Access: Earner bikes up 25% from 2023 (497 bikes), and free community repairs up 91% from 2023 (643 repairs).

- Volunteer Activity: Bike earners volunteered over 5,000 hours in their neighborhoods, while our volunteers dedicated 5,609 hours to refurbishing and repairing bikes.

- Safety Essentials: We provided 374 new helmets and 386 locks to our bike earners.

- Community Support: We delivered 43 free repair events repairing 643 bikes in lower-income neighborhoods and provided 99 bikes to long-time community partners.

- Sponsored Refugee Assistance: We partnered with Open Doors for Refugees and the Stoughton Resettlement Project to provide bikes, helmets, and locks to help new neighbors acclimate.

- Environmental Impact: By refurbishing bikes instead of manufacturing new ones, we saved bikes from landfills and eliminated the equivalent CO2 of 13.5 gas-powered vehicles driven for a year. (EPA Estimate)

Double your gift and your impact today by donating at our Big Share webpage. 

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

Please donate today!

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

Thank you,

The Wheels for Winners Volunteers

Quarterly Newsletter - August 2025

W4W & the Bayview Foundation Honored with Community Shares of Wisconsin 2025 Community Change-Maker Award

Every year, Community Shares of Wisconsin (CSW) celebrates local leaders and organizations who are advancing social and environmental justice in our community through their Community Change-Maker Awards. This year Wheels and the Bayview Foundation were selected as the winners for their 2025 Collaboration Award. This award recognizes CSW member nonprofits that demonstrate the power of collaboration with their coordinated efforts to lead impactful social justice change within our community.

Neil McCallum Repairs this Young Girl’s Bike at a Free Bike Repair Event at Bayview Foundation

Since 2021, Wheels for Winners has collaborated with the Bayview Foundation to organize a spring bike distribution event at Bayview’s community center. Wheels for Winners also partners with Bayview to provide free bike repair clinics each summer and trains Bayview staff to make basic bike repairs for residents.

Over the years, Wheels for Winners has provided over 450 bicycles to Bayview bike earners and serviced more than 300 bikes for Bayview residents. Bayview bike earners have completed more than 4,500 hours of community service.

Free Bike Repair at a Madison Parks Alive Event at Galaxy Park

2025 Free Bike Repair Events Calendar

Our 2025 summer Outreach season is winding down after over 30 events and 530 bikes repaired to date.  Our W4W volunteers provided free safety checks and tune-ups to people in Madison and Dane County who otherwise might not be able to afford to keep their bikes in good repair. 

 We still have one event left on the summer calendar. Drop by if you are in the neighborhood.

Thurs. September 4 | 4:00 - 7:00 PM - El Mercadito - Centro Hispano - 2403 Cypress Way, Madison 53713

Looking to Get Involved?

Wheels is looking for more volunteer bike mechanics on Fridays - 10am to 2pm, Mondays - 4-6 pm, and Wednesdays - 4-6 pm.  No experience necessary, our experienced shift-leaders will train you.  Application at https://wheelsforwinners.org/bike-mechanics

 Bike Donations

Have an old bike that you don't use anymore?  Donate it to Wheels for Winners.  229 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Madison, WI 53704 - see below for shop hours. Your donated bike will be refurbished and given free to youth and adults experiencing challenges in their daily lives who perform community service.  We serve people primarily in Madison and Dane County. We clean, adjust, repair, and rebuild every bike we give out.  https://wheelsforwinners.org/donate-a-bike

 W4W is now on Bluesky

https://bsky.app/profile/wheelsforwinners.bsky.social

Wheels partner organizations support our efforts with videos. 

Check out the video testimonials at YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@wheelsforwinners8409

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

Your support is deeply appreciated!  We could not do this without you!

 Sincerely,

The Wheels for Winners Team

Providing refurbished bikes to people doing community service for over 30 years!

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

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky
https://wheelsforwinners.org/

https://www.facebook.com/Wheelsforwinners/

https://www.instagram.com/wheelsforwinners/

https://bsky.app/profile/wheelsforwinners.bsky.social

Bayview Foundation Honors Wheels with Legacy Award

Thanks to the long legacy of the efforts of Richard Castelnuovo & Alan Crossley, Wheels For Winners was recognized at a May 22, 2025 ceremony at the newly renovated Bayview Complex.  It was interesting to look out during the ceremony to see all of the youth enjoying their bicycles!  Our efforts along with so many others have made a difference in the lives of those who live there.  Over the years, they have earned over 400 bikes from us and we have serviced over 300 of them.  Keep them rolling!  

Thanks to all of our volunteers and Bayview Foundation for making this a very special award!

Alan Crossley and Wheels’ volunteers Neil M, Ted and Paul were back at it the very next day doing 21 free bike repairs at Bayview.