Bikes for Kids WI: For 2025, Can You Help Us Repair Bikes – for Kids?!

Kristie GoForth

I hope you had a great holiday break and are feeling ready to make a positive difference in 2025! While I’m a “see the glass half full” kind of person, it can be challenging to feel positive with all that’s going on in our communities and world. I’m trying to overcome by focusing on my local community and changing a small corner of my world. This helps me stay focused and determined without feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. 

Plus, we are looking at mountains of bikes in need of repair as it’s our Refurb-Cycle season! There is no time for us to slow down as our bike giveaway events are scheduled for April this year. If you’d like to volunteer during the day or in the evenings on Monday and Tuesdays, we’d love to have your help. It’s fun work and our hosts Freddy and Ryan are great teachers. You can learn more about our volunteer opportunities here. Want to see what the work entails? Watch here. We have added a new calendar on the volunteer page so you can see our upcoming events as well. 

We are hoping to close our application for bike distribution partners on January 15th so, if you know a school or nonprofit that is serving marginalized people, please encourage them to apply. Some are opting out due to our $20/bicycle application fee but one thing is certain, most businesses would LOVE to sponsor an organization receiving bikes for their constituents. A phone call is usually all it takes. Bikes could become incredibly expensive in 2025 if tariffs are instated so now is the time to take advantage of this exceptionally low rate for a shop-quality bike! 

Our 2nd Annual GearShift Gathering has been moved to January 17th, the eve of the Brazen Dropouts Bike Swap so we can gather as a warmup to that event. We hope you’ll join us!

Our corporate team schedule is still rocking but we do have openings! We reserve Fridays from 12pm-3pm for teams up to 12. Previous volunteers have shared how much they enjoy the team-building aspect of doing the work with their colleagues, giving back, and being a part of something that is having direct impact on the lives of people who most need support. You can view the Volunteer Page to learn more about these team building experiences. Please don’t delay to email us if you’d like to pitch in this season. 

Thank you to all who contribute to us in meaningful ways,

Kristie GoForth, Executive Director