News Archive

Denver, April 29, 2014—The non-profit Wish for Wheels (WFW) organization that provides brand new bikes and helmets to low-income or underserved kids, has teamed up with the employees from the Bicycle Village and Distribution Center of Specialty Sports Venture (SSV) to purchase, assemble and deliver 80 bikes to every first grade student at Laredo Elementary in Aurora on Tuesday, May 13. An estimated 35 volunteer employees from the SSV Distribution Center and the four Denver area Bicycle Village shops as well as other SSV-owned stores will be assembling the tyke-sized bikes from 9am to 11am on the mezzanine level of the Bicycle Village at 2802 S. Havana in Aurora. Volunteers will be attaching handlebars, wheels and pedals to the bike frames. From noon to 2pm, another volunteer team of 35 will transport the ready-to-roll bicycles to Laredo Elementary School at 1350 Laredo Street in Aurora, for distribution to the  first-graders along with bike lessons to help the recipients get rolling on their new wheels.
 

Wish for Wheels was founded in 2004 and to date has given away 5,200 bikes and helmets to local low-income children.
 

“We think it is vital that children in underserved communities have an opportunity to have ownership of their own bike and to allow them the chance to develop a love of cycling,” explained Brad Appel, founder and director of Wish for Wheels. “One of our primary goals is to get kids outside and engaged in healthy activities and this joint effort with SSV and Vail Resorts will enable us to provide the mechanism for healthy recreation for 80 of Laredo’s students,” he added.
 

The one-day distribution of bikes is part of a larger and continuing connection between SSV and Laredo Elementary. The staff of the SSV Distribution Center (DC) located near the school learned that half of their students are English language learners and 82 percent are on free or reduced lunch programs. Their principal, Drew Hoelscher and his dedicated staff have welcomed the volunteer alliance with the employees of the SSV over the past year. Volunteer activities have included a rotating schedule of four members of the DC staff visiting the school every other week to provide individualized reading lessons for struggling students. DC employees and their families also assisted during the school’s Math & Science Night last fall where they staffed experiments and interacted with the kids on their projects.
 

The established connection between the Distribution Center and the desire to do more for these students made the joint effort with Wish for Wheels, Bicycle Village and SSV a perfect fit with the support of Vail Resorts program.
 

“We have these truly incredible employees who are always looking for a meaningful way to connect with a group or organization in their region and make a difference in people’s lives,” explained Kat Jobanputra, Executive Vice President and COO of Specialty Sports Venture. “This particular relationship has been as rewarding for our employees as it has been for the children getting the extra attention and we are all very excited to strengthen our ties with Laredo Elementary through this donation which is being made possible through the team effort between Wish for Wheels and our staff,” he added.
 

To keep the elementary school kids interested in and riding a right-sized bike, students will also be eligible to participate in Bicycle Village’s “Kid’s Trade Up” program. Outgrown bicycles can be brought back to any Bicycle Village store and get a $40 credit towards a new bike.
 

For more information about Wish for Wheels, visit www.wishforwheels.org.