Keep it rolling!

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2014 has been a great year.  Help us keep a good thing going into 2015!

Thank you for your support for FreeWheels, let's keep it going! FreeWheels for Kids is the only kid-centered bike organization in Kansas City, and we are asking for your support!  It is truly amazing what FreeWheels has accomplished in just a few short years.  Yes, we are excited about the hundreds of bikes we have repaired and given away with our Master Mechanics (also known as middle-schoolers!), but the real accomplishments are those of our students, who build trails, perform commnuity service, and are fast becoming tomorrow's leaders of Kansas City. Those are the things that make us charge forward into 2015 confident that, with your help, our students can truly transform Kansas City and make safe, healthy communities. Read more about FreeWheels's plans for 2015 below Don't forget, it's bike drive season! Clear some room in that garage or attic and help KC kids at the same time! Come see us this Saturday at the Trek Store or Velo+.  We will be happy to regale you with stories of crazy kids on bikes! Now it's time to ask for your help! You can find more information about donating here ordonate directly here.  Thank you for your support!   Rosedale Bike Club practices their bike-handling by jumping off this drain in the woods by their school.   Bryan Kidney, founding member of FreeWheels's Board of Driectors and current President, has seen incredible growth and impact from our programs.  To  FreeWheels Supporters, In this giving season I’d like to take a moment to explain what we have accomplished with your tax-deductible donations.  Four years ago, a small group of volunteers believed in Ben Alexander’s vision of empowering the often overlooked pre-teen and teenage population through bikes. Three years ago this month, we incorporated FreeWeels for Kids as a 501c3 charity and began an amazing group of programs that is making true changes in Kansas City. Our first program was the “Earn a Bike” Class, where kids work on a donated bike, strip it down and repair it and then donate that bike back to a younger kid in their neighborhood thereby earning their own bike to repair.  The second program is Let's Get Rolling, a class teaches fourth graders how to begin the adventure of riding your bike. In the fall we return to the now fifth grade PE classes and teach traffic safety and the responsibility of sharing the roads. Finally, our pinnacle program that truly embodies our mission of empowering kids through bikes is our Bike Club program. To be a part of this after school program, kids must endeavor to make their community a better place. Each club determines what it takes to make a better community. This past year, one of our clubs successfully lobbied the Unified Government of Kansas City/Wyandotte County for proper sidewalks along the streets they use to get to school. Another club was successful in getting a portion of the Kansas City levy accessible for bikes. And another club created a great cycling map showing others how to safely get across town. Other clubs built trails that allowed them to use their bikes to get to school. With your help we have truly empowered kids through bikes. Our kids come from all walks of life and demographics representing at least 12 languages and many more cultures.  Thank you for all you have given in the past. As our impact has grown, you have been there with us, helping us make ends meet even as our staff and students take on bigger and bigger projects. We have quickly gone from an all-volunteer organization to a 2015 budget with two full-time and three part-time staff members and a budget of over $300,000.  We plan to repair at least 240 bikes in 2015 with our more than 200 Bike Club students, teach bike safety and help more than 1,400 students arrive safely to school, and introduce at least 300 of our youngest students to the joy of no-training-wheels at community events.  Those are big goals, and we need your help to make it happen! We are making a difference in Kansas City. The kids in our community are amazing and we want to reach our goals in 2015. Would you please considerdonating and helping us empower kids through bikes? We wish you all happy holidays and a safe New Year. Bryan Kidney, President of the Board

Holiday Bike Drives! It's that time of year, stay tuned for bike drives with our wonderful bike shop partners.  See you there! (See the events calendaror contact us for more info.)   Your text caption goes here. You can change the position and width of the caption from the block settings tab. More events

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