Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison has Grown into Bikes for Kids Wisconsin!
Madison, WI – Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison, a 501c3 charitable organization providing 2,000 free bikes to those in need through its annual bike giveaway program, is excited to announce its new name and enhanced mission. The organization announced at the end of 2023 that they are now Bikes for Kids Wisconsin. Bikes for Kids Wisconsin is expanding its mission from the standalone bike giveaway program to increasing bicycle-based transportation for everyone through access, low-cost sales and service, and education.
Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison was a chapter of the national Free Bikes 4 Kidz organization with more than 15 chapters across the country. The mission of Free Bikes 4 Kidz is to give away free bicycles through a 10-week program that collects unwanted bicycles, saves them from the landfill, refurbishes them, and then gives them away to children through distribution partners including other charitable organizations and public schools. Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison held its first bike giveaway in Wisconsin in the spring of 2017. Executive Director Kristie GoForth stated, “We are incredibly grateful to Free Bikes 4 Kidz for bringing a chapter to Wisconsin and providing us with this launch pad. It’s helped us get to where we are today and we are excited to take this positive impact to the next level.”
Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison started offering low-cost service and sales at their bike shop in the summer of 2023 to help their recipients keep their bikes rolling. They also began selling high-end road bikes to the public that aren’t suitable for their bike recipients’ needs as a way to fund their bike giveaway program. “This fall we held our pilot Bike Mechanics program with an area middle school. Bikes are vehicles and like any other vehicle, it takes the proper tools and knowledge to keep these vehicles running safely and efficiently,” GoForth stated. “Our Bike Mechanics program is addressing two problems: the need for bike education so kids know how to fix common issues like flat tires and adjust brakes; and it addresses the shortage of bike mechanics in the Madison area. Nurturing tomorrow’s skilled workers in the trade of bike mechanics is a critical need especially as we see bike ownership and commuting increasing.” Each student came into the class to find a box full of bike parts to build a 20” coaster brake bike.
She continued to say that the organization realized a couple of years ago that they needed to provide support to their bike recipients and the community of transportation-challenged individuals in Dane County, Milwaukee County, and Racine County. They’ve been serving counties outside of Dane County for the past two years and through the generosity of people in Dane County, they are now in the position to provide services to a wider audience, including tribes in Wisconsin
In 2023 they hit several new milestones including giving away their 10,000th bike to Alan, a sophomore at West High School in Madison, and shipping 555 bikes to Ghana through a collaboration with Working Bikes in Chicago and Village Bike Project in Ghana. They also held their pilot Bike Mechanics program and held their first bike donation drive in Minocqua with a goal of giving bikes to the Lac du Flambeau Tribe in northern Wisconsin in the spring of 2024. They increased their year-round staff to include servicing the public through low-cost bike repairs and selling affordable used bikes.
About Bikes for Kids Wisconsin
Bikes for Kids Wisconsin is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that held its first bike giveaway in Madison in the spring of 2017. We are on a mission to increase access to bicycle-based transportation for all people in southern Wisconsin. In November 2023, the organization gave away its 10,000th bike to a sophomore in Madison so he could ride to school and participate on his wrestling team.. Through our bike donation drives and refurbishment efforts, we aim to promote healthy living, environmental consciousness, and community engagement.
Contact information: Bikes for Kids Wisconsin, Executive Director Kristie GoForth, Phone: (608) 444-8641 / Email: [email protected]
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