Wish for Wheels’ Most Memorable Moments of 2023
2023 has been quite the ride (pun intended)! With over 8,200 bikes built & given to 2nd-grade students from 117 partners through our Team Build & Give program, we’ve had another record year here at Wish for Wheels.
This remarkable achievement not only reflects the dedication and hard work of our team but also the incredible support from our community.
As we reflect, we’d be remiss if we didn’t express our true gratitude to every corporate partner, volunteer, donor, subscriber, and follower, that helped us to make dreams come true for over 8,200 under-resourced students. Without you, this tremendous impact would not have been possible!
We invite you to walk down memory lane with us as our team shares their most memorable Wish for Wheels moments of 2023.
Lori Davis: Director of Sales and Partner Relations
My favorite memory at Wish this year is when a parent called to tell me they had received the information from the school regarding their 2 children receiving bikes. They did not believe it could be true so they tried to talk it down to their kids leading up to the Bike Build & Give so they would not have their hopes crushed. She went to the school at the time of the event and could not believe it when every kid in the 2nd grade was being fit by a group of smiling, happy volunteers for their new bike and helmet to take home. She arranged a bike walk/ ride with other families in the community where a caregiver would go with the kids to a certain point at which they would all ride their bikes to school together. It was so heartwarming to feel the sense of community and belonging from this parent and her kids as they participated in a Build & Give.
Jerry Farmer: Build/Give Program Manager
My favorite memory from this year is a recent one! It was building 615 bikes (a WFW record!) With Oxy in Houston, and giving them to kids around the whole 5th Ward. So many teachers and principals were talking about how life changing this experience was for the kids and that the kids would otherwise not be getting a bike, plus it was great for getting the kids and teachers into the Christmas spirit!
Allie Conklin: Operations & Event Coordinator
My favorite memory this year was with our Build/Give team this summer. We had to move the Wish for Wheels warehouse to a new location and we were able to move over 1,000 bikes along with the rest of our event and operational supplies within 8 hours. We spent the day working hard, laughing, riding the big wheels around the giant new warehouse and bonding as a team. It was a really great day!
Alex Maple: Director of Operations
Picking a favorite memory can be really hard for me, because a lot of the good things that I remember from this year happened in the background of what is the most meaningful for our beneficiaries and partner companies, but I think my favorite memory of this year was having the whole team in Denver for our 11/1 Community Event. It was so nice to have Tara and Lori and the entire WFW Team in attendance to chat up current and [hopefully] future partners and also to take a couple silly team pictures. Also, the ladies brunch the next day was pretty exceptional :)
Anna Prior: Partner & Community Engagement
My favorite memory with Wish for Wheels since I started back in September took place at KIPP Northeast Elementary, at the Johns Manville event. Before joining the Wish for Wheels team, I was teaching English at a primary school in Spain. Since then, it's been a goal of mine to continue improving my Spanish speaking skills. KIPP Northeast has a lot of kids who do not speak English as their first language, and I had the pleasure of speaking in Spanish with two precious twin girls and their parents. While fitting them for their helmets, I realized the girls did not understand that the bikes were theirs to keep. Once I explained to them (in semi-broken Spanish) that they would be taking their bikes home with them, their faces absolutely lit up! They couldn't believe it! The moment was really heartwarming, and has definitely encouraged me to carry my goal of improving my Spanish with me into 2024!
Greg Greenwood: CEO/Executive Director
The Impulsify team members had already built the bikes and the bikes were all lined up and ready for the kids to come out at Fairview Elementary in the Sun Valley Youth Center. Their CEO, Janine, and I were standing there talking and the teacher leads the kids out and they were visibly excited and one of the children said “I feel like we are in Heaven!” Janine and I looked at each other, embraced and teared up with joy.” Such a special moment!
Juniper Finch: Build/Give Specialist
Sometimes a sponsor buys more bikes than a school needs. When that happens, we try to leave those bikes with the school to give out as they see fit, because they know their students' situations and where there is the most need.
At one school this fall, the grandma of one second grader was raising six kids on her own, and the family had just experienced a fire. Those extra bikes were able to go to all the young kids in that family. Seeing the emotion on the principal's face when she realized she was going to be able to help out that family was priceless.
Kelia Zigich: Build/Give Specialist
Honestly, one of my favorite experiences was moving warehouses, lots and lots of bikes and truck loads, but getting to work with all the other Build/Give Specialists & WFW staff was a surprisingly great experience despite all the heavy lifting! Psyched to work with a team of such enthusiastic, fun people :)
Mallorie De Vries: Build/Give Specialist
Having recently joined the WFW team, I've already had a few memorable experiences. The one that resonates with me the most is the Gates Give. There was a boy who kept shouting, "This is the best day ever! I am never getting off this bike!"
Molly Moroney: Build/Give Specialist
A few months ago I ran an event where Maya, a senior at Kent High School, raised money to sponsor a Build/Give event for 33 2nd-graders at Kaiser Elementary. The Kent Outdoors Club and her parents helped with the event. It was so fun to work with high schoolers and listen to the prom, college, friends chatter and then see them help the 2nd-graders!
