Dear TurningWheels For Kids family,
I’ve always been transparent with you ~ TWFK is what it is because of all of you. If not for your engagement, TWFK is just another idea that quickly fades. BUT because of that engagement, we’ve managed to put 44,336 kids on bikes; that most coveted gift! Hang with me a moment. . .With the COVID-19 story we’re all living, I would be remiss if I didn’t share the impact COVID-19 has had on TurningWheels For Kids (TWFK); it was immediate and profound. All personal/Corporate donations are being re-directed, rightfully so, to essential healthcare, housing, and food needs.
BUT, far more important is the impact COVID-19 has had on our kids! Many of their parents are the 1st to lose jobs, there is no safety-net bank account, and family struggles are likely to become exaggerated. And even if this pandemic resolves reasonably quickly, for the families we serve recovery will be difficult and SLOW! So, for kids with already tough lives, life just got TOUGHER!
Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa (whatever’s celebrated) is STILL coming and will be especially difficult this year for our families! This year we NEED to be present to help these families find a ray of HOPE! AND, with your help, we can provide the kid’s #1 requested gift . . . a brand new, shiny bike!! That’s HOPE restored, not just for the kids but mom and dad also. In a 2018 survey, one high school boy said, “Because I always wanted one, and I never had one before. My parents don’t let me have one because we are poor. It would make my whole world if I got one. Christmas is coming up and my parents can’t even give me presents because we are poor, so if I get a bike it will be the best, and the only Christmas present I’ve ever got”. AND due to these COVID-19 circumstances, TWFK expects the request for bikes to EXPLODE this year!!
Can you help on May 5th, Giving Tuesday? We are still planning the Big Bike Build on December 5th, BUT we must find funding! Bike orders were due in April but both vendors have extended our deadline to June 1. So, $1 or $100, help us buy the bikes. We have $80k but we need $284k for 2400 bikes/helmets. Make a donation, ask your friends to spare us a few bucks. Partner with us, one more time and let’s bring a little light into the dark. AND the outcome of that partnership; more kids outside on bikes staying healthy, school-ready and on reliable transportation. A tough life just got a little bit easier!
– TWFK Founder Sue
