Helping Newly Resettled Refugees

It's not often a Wheels for Winners volunteer is greeted with a kiss, especially from a four year-old sponsored refugee.  Open Doors for Refugees brought a Syrian family of six to Wheels for bikes, including three small children who were the cutest ever.  After they had gone outside to load up the bikes, the third youngest little girl came back, opened the shop door, waved at us, and blew us a kiss. Our hearts were instantly puddles on the floor!

Being a new child refugee can be scary and daunting.  A bike can help a child's life feel more normal!  Your donation creates special moments like these. - Thank you!

Please support our efforts at https://www.thebigshare.org/organizations/wheels-for-winners    

Only two weeks to go in our annual fundraiser.  Double your donation now while match dollars are available!

We are 100% volunteer run - 100% of your donation goes to earner bikes and free repairs!

Your donation pays to refurbish bikes for young people who earn their bike, helmet and lock by doing 10 hours of volunteer service in their neighborhood, school or community center.  They learn responsibility and giving back to get a great bike that would be a challenge for their family to afford. In 2025, Our 49 volunteers provided a record 497 bikes to earners like this Syrian refugee family.

Wheels also works with school social workers and mental health professionals getting bikes to youth facing numerous challenges.  

In 2025, Wheels' also provided 643 free bike repairs at community centers, Madison Park and Dane County community events, keeping riders safe and bikes out of landfills.

Remember the freedom and happiness you experienced bike riding as a youth.  Your donations give our bike earners, children and youth, that same freedom and happiness!

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

- Wheels for Winners Volunteers Thank You! 

Annual Fundraiser: 24% raised; 76% to go

Wheels for Winners Supporters,

Thanks to long-time supporters, in just one week we raised 22% of our $27,500 goal. We still have 78% to go!  Matching funds will double your donation, so please help us now by donating to our Big Share fundraiser at https://www.thebigshare.org/organizations/wheels-for-winners  

We are 100% volunteer run - 100% of your donation goes to earner bikes and free repairs!

Wheels & Madison Police Dept. partner to bring bikes, helmets and locks to earners at Allied Learning Center.

Your donation pays to refurbish bikes for young people who earn their bike, helmet and lock by doing 10 hours of volunteer service in their neighborhood, school or community center.  They learn responsibility and giving back to get a great bike that would be a challenge for their family to afford. Our 49 volunteers provided a record 497 bikes to earners like the young girl people above.  

Wheels also works with school social workers and mental health professionals getting bikes to youth facing numerous challenges.  

In 2025, Wheels' also provided 643 free bike repairs at community centers, Madison Park and Dane County community events, keeping riders safe and bikes out of landfills.

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

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

 - Wheels for Winners Volunteers Thank You! 

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