Unlocking Potential: The Importance of Serving Title I Students

At Wish for Wheels, we seek to empower the well-being of kids, families and communities through the gift of a brand new bike and helmet to 2nd graders in Title I schools.

Most of the time, we fulfill this mission by staging unforgettable team building events for our corporate partners, but we’re able to maximize our impact through community donations and involvement. 

Whether you’re curious about working with Wish for Wheels as a corporate partner or you just want to learn more about why we do what we do, we wanted to break down the heart of our mission: serving Title I children. 

What is Title I

Title I is a federal program that supports both primary and secondary education in the US. Schools and districts can receive this classification based on poverty rates of the students enrolled.

The goal of programs within Title I is to help ensure that all children have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to access a high-quality education and to close educational achievement gaps. Among the things that the Title I program offers to schools are free and reduced lunches, the option to hire more teachers or teaching assistants, provision of computers or software, and additional funding for before, after and summer school programs for families where a parent works irregular hours. 

This distinction allows for schools and districts to offer more services for their students who need them.

Why Title I

When our Founder, Brad Appel, started Wish for Wheels back in 2004, the idea for the organization came as Brad was passing along his love of biking to his children. He wanted to give his children the same sense of autonomy and freedom that he experienced as a child growing up outside of New York and wondered how parents in low income families could offer the same to their children.

In Title I school districts where parents struggle to make ends meet, a new bike and helmet for their child is often out of reach. It was out of the idea and passion for getting as many kids as possible on bikes that Brad started our mission.

Along the way, he learned a whole lot more about what the gift of a bike and helmet can offer these children. Beyond the excitement of a new toy and the obvious benefits of physical exercise, biking gives these children and their families a practical means of transportation. 

One parent shared the story of how this gift of a new bike and helmet impacted the daily life of her and her son. Unable to qualify for bussing due to living just inside the 2-mile minimum that the district required, walking nearly 2 miles to and from school every day was the norm. With a new bike and helmet, this mother was able to ensure her child made it to and from school safely and quickly on his new bike. 

But the impact doesn’t stop there. For Title I children, specifically, the gift of a new bike offers children the ability to build confidence, increase cognitive function and concentration, and helps to foster community building - all things that lead to a much brighter future. 

There are approximately 13,000 Title I second graders in the Denver Metro Area and an estimated 2 million in the US, and we have a goal to reach every single one of these children, with your help! 

Get Involved

If you’re looking engage your team, give new bikes and helmet to children in your community and help to clear the road towards greater autonomy, well-being and a whole lot of fun, please reach out to learn more and follow us on social media to see us give bikes, helmets and a whole lot of smiles.