From Free Bikes 4 Kidz: Volunteer Kickoff Party Reminder & Big News!
Kristie GoForth
Our Holiday Bike Sale Is Still On!
As we wind down the year, I am reflecting on all the incredible partnerships and volunteers who have helped us improve the lives of others through access to free and efficient transportation (and fun—because bikes are fun!). Meeting our 10,000 bikes distributed goal was so EXCITING and we still hear folks all around the county talking about Alan and his new bike. I don’t think he was expecting quite so much fame!
“I’m inspired daily watching your work because I live near your shop. I am thrilled with my new trike that I purchased from you not only because it supports your work but it’s helping make my knees feel better and making me healthier!” – Kim |
VOLUNTEER KICKOFF PARTY!~WEDNESDAY, 12/20 • 4 pm-7pm~at Main Depot: 627 W. Main Street, MadisonJoin us to celebrate our volunteers and the start of our 2024 bike giveaway season! We’ll spend the winter fixing up bikes at our shop with your help to ready them for their new owners in spring. If you’ve volunteered in the past or hope to in the future or if you’ve supported us in other ways, we hope you’ll join us for some holiday cheer (great conversations, food, and drinks )! It’s free and all are welcome. We’ll have a few door prizes too! No registration is needed, just come and stay as long as you like. Wednesday, December 20 • 4 pm-7 pm. Main Depot, 627 W. Main StreetMadison, WI 53703 Save the date for the GearShift Gathering on Friday, 1/19/24, 3-7 pm! We’re excited to announce the first GearShift Gathering at our workshop at 354 Coyier Lane in south Madison on Friday, January 19 from 3-7 pm. Stop by to meet your local bike organizations at this fun event! Local representatives will be available to talk with you about their work, talk about upcoming projects, and learn about volunteer opportunities. This event is free and all are invited! EXHIBITORS INCLUDE: Wheels for Winners, Bombay Bicycle Club, Capital Off Road Pathfinders, NICA Bike Parks for Kids, Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison Would you like to sponsor this event? Donate a door prize? Or maybe you want to donate food or drink in exchange for great publicity and connecting with the Madison bike community? Let us know! Click to send an email for details. DOOR PRIZESNICA will be raffling off a Planet Bike floor pump. Join this list with a donation! Volunteer season ramps up! Corporate group NeuWave getting the job done! Thanks to volunteers Ryan Huelsemann and Keith Kunugi for hosting our volunteer shop nights on Monday and Tuesday nights from 6-8pm! If you’d like to sign up, click the link below. This work will make you feel good because you’ll be giving back to your community. No experience is needed and kids 10+ are welcome with an adult. If you want to bring friends, our maximum number of volunteers is around 12 people. Corporate groups of up to 12 people are welcome to sign up for a Friday shift from 1-4 pm. You can stop in and volunteer now during our daytime hours (see below) or plan on signing up through our website for evening shifts from 6-8 pm. PLEASE NOTE WE’LL BE CLOSED DEC. 25-DEC. 29 for a staff holiday break. Evening Volunteer ScheduleMonday nights – 6-8pmTuesday nights – 6-8pm We hope to add Thursday nights when we secure a shop host. Visit our shop at 354 Coyier Lane, Madison, WI 53713 Monday-Friday • 10 am -4 pm, Bike Shop phone: (608) 405-0385 Have questions? View the Frequently Asked Questions on our website. VOLUNTEER AT THE SHOP: ~CALL FOR BIKE DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS~ APPLICATION ARE STILL BEING ACCEPTED, If you are a 501c3 serving youth, or marginalized communities, or, if you work at a public school and want to be a distribution partner, you are invited to apply for free bikes. The application takes less than 5 minutes to fill out and it will be open through January 31, 2024. Learn more about being a distribution partner. If you know a nonprofit that serves marginalized people of all ages or a public school that may be interested in receiving free bikes for their constituents, please share this news with them. To date, we have distributed 10,091 bikes to 171 nonprofits and schools! We often get asked, “How do I get a bike?” We give our bikes to other charitable nonprofits and public schools that determine who our recipients will be. This system works well because they are already working with area youth and people in need. If you want to receive a bike, be sure to mention the Free Bikes 4 Kidz program to your school social worker, or a nonprofit that you receive services from. Past recipients include Badger Prairie Needs Network, River Food Pantry, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Centro Hispano, Madinah Muslim School, and 150 more! View 2023 distribution partnersView 2022 distribution partners Alan was our 10,000th bike recipient! He rides to school and wrestling practice on his new ride. |
Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison IncPO Box 6594 Madison, WI 53716 |
We’ve now given away 10,091 bikes! Our partnerships with Santa’s Without Chimneys, Toys for Tots, Forward Service Corporation, and Bike Fed through the Santa Rampage helped us distribute 91 bikes this month! Our holiday bike sale promotion includes one donated bike to Ghana through our partnership with Working Bikes in Chicago whenever a $100 holiday bike is sold so 50 more will be sent to Ghana this spring.
A few year-end notes to mention: our holiday bike sale is still on through the end of the year. We will be closed Dec. 25-29 for a much-needed break for staff as we shift into high gear for 2024. So stop in this week if you need a new bike for $100! We have some beauties thanks to the generosity of people in Dane County who want to see someone else enjoy biking as much as they do. The sale of bikes helps support our program which is critical because, like everything else, we’re seeing the cost of parts and accessories increase. Every single bike that comes in requires a full tuneup by our professional mechanics so although they are free to us, we have to invest in them to ensure their safety and reliability for their new owners.
I hope you’ll attend our Volunteer Kickoff Party on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at the Main Depot in downtown Madison. Our volunteers are the backbone of our giveaway program. We could not refurbish 2,000 bikes each year without their help so we are looking forward to celebrating them!
We’ll also have a big announcement coming out in the next couple of weeks so stay tuned for that! We are stepping up to serve our community in an even bigger way.
Thank you to those who share our passion & support our efforts,
Kristie GoForth, Executive Director