"How do I get a bike? Addressing the most commonly asked question at Bikes for Kids WI
“How do I get a bike?” It’s the question we hear most through social media messages, phone calls, emails, and people dropping in at the bike shop. This post will explain the process, we hope.
Bikes for Kids WI is responsible for collecting unused bicycles, refurbishing them, then distributing them to their new owners through our Distribution Partners. These partners, are 501c3 charities serving marginalized communities and they are usually the social workers at public schools. These folks ensure that our bikes are going to those most in need. They select who receives our bikes each year. They provide us with their names, heights, and other data points. We can’t do this work without them! And, we give bikes to all people, not just kids.
To get a bike, an organization must apply to receive bikes November 1 through January 31 each year. We issue a call for applicants through our e-newsletters, our website, local news and media, social media, calls and emails directly to organizations. Once again, these applicants are other 501c3’s and public schools.
The local media has been extremely helpful to us spreading the message widely.
Reminders about the call for applicants begins in September; this is where we are continually reminding organizations considering being distribution partners, to get things lined up, get permission or whatever you have to do to be prepared to apply for bikes in November-January.
If you work in one of these organizations and want to apply, do this right now: put a reminder in your calendar for November 1 to Apply for Bikes.
We DO NOT have an infinite supply of bikes although sometimes it seems as if we do. Bikes must be sized to their owners which is determined by height. Since we rely on bikes being donated to us, we don’t always have the size you may need because we get what we get. We do not purchase bikes so we cannot order a specific size or color for recipients.
We’ll admit, it is heartbreaking when the public shows up at our bike giveaway events asking for bikes. We have to turn them away because every bike we have at that time already has a person’s name on it–they have been preregistered by a Distribution Partner. If we were to give one of those bikes to someone who shows up unexpectedly, it means that the person who is registered will not get the bike they were promised.
Here is a link to the application page which also details the process. We hope this helps people understand how it all works!
For more information, please give us a call at (608) 405-0385 or send us an email.
We are located at 354 Coyier Lane, Madison, WI 53713.