Join The Story

Join supporters around the world— just like you— who are making a difference. Learn about ways you can fundraise to make World Bicycle Relief a part of your story. Together, we can mobilize people in rural, developing regions through the Power of Bicycles.

MAGGIE ELLIOTT
12-YEAR-OLD EXPERIENCES THE DISTANCE
“World Bicycle Relief is doing things I can’t do on my own, and they’re helping people in the process. Who doesn’t like bikes? I get people excited about that, but only WBR can accomplish the bigger goal.”

12-year old Maggie gathers her community to experience what it’s like to walk five miles, reflecting on the daily challenge many school children throughout the world face. In an experiment in empathy, she puts on the event Walk For Wheels where participants walk five miles on a local trail then bike the return trip. Maggie hopes others experience the Power of Bicycles.

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NATHAN RUGG
RUNNER SETS PERSONAL RECORD
“Community is a fellowship on many different levels. It is important to me to contribute to my communities as it defines who I am.”

Illinois-based runner, and member of Team WBR, Nate Rugg had an impressive race schedule in 2015 including the Illinois Marathon, the Polar Dash, Lake Half Marathon, and Chicago Rock n Roll Marathon. Nate wants his time training and running to accomplish more than just personal milestones. He focused his efforts not only into destroying his previous marathon personal record, which stands at 4:17, but also reaching another goal: $6,000 for WBR!

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KEVIN MARTIN
AVID CYCLIST DONATES TIME AND INFLUENCE
“Community, like family, may have as many different definitions as the individuals defining it. For me, a community is a very important extension of family. In fact, they are inseparable.”

Kevin, an avid cyclist, supports WBR because every year he is filled with a renewed sense of possibility for making a difference in the world. He is successful at raising funds because of his passion and belief in WBR’s mission of empowerment through a bicycle— a simple machine that many take for granted, yet in the hands of those who struggle with distance daily, changes lives.

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TEAM THOMPSON
A FAMILY INSPIRES OTHERS
“We support WBR all year long. We know from experience, a bike can change the life of the recipient and their family. The gift of a bike is a gift of hope.”

2015 Team WBR Ambassadors Amy, Dave, and Rob Thompson are an exceptional trio enduring unique challenges to pedal for The Power of Bicycles. Fully understanding the life-changing power that a set of wheels on a bicycle can bring, the Thompsons have seen their family-life change for the better through cycling.

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SONGEZO JIM
PRO CYCLES FOR STUDENTS
“I choose to support Qhubeka (WBR South Africa) because of the amazing job they are doing in the disadvantaged communities. I come from such a community, so I know what it means to the people there.”

Songezo is a member of Team MTN Qhubeka p/b Samsung, and he knows firsthand what life is like growing up in a rural African village. After losing both of his parents, he moved to Cape Town and discovered cycling at 14 years old. In six years, he turned pro. His racing team believes bicycles change lives and have already funded thousands of bicycles for students.

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MARK AND SUE COBB
COLORADO COUPLE GATHERS COMMUNITY
“Recently, my husband Mark and I realized our community is a lot bigger than our neighborhood, our local stores, schools, and places of work. Something shifted and our perception of community became much more global.”

Sue and Mark Cobb’s event Music in the Mountains happened on a September evening in the foothills of the Ken Caryl Valley in Colorado where guests enjoyed an intimate folk concert. The children were entertained by a clown who did face painting and the parents got to grab a beer and kick back. With giveaways and an auction, the family raised over $1,500 for the Power of Bicycles.

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BILL MIDDEKE
BAKES BREAD FOR BIKES
“I have a cycling community that I rely on to keep me motivated. I could not do what I do without their support.”

Bill Middeke, with help from his faith community, hosted a bake sale this year. They baked cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, and loaves of sourdough, challah, kulich, birdseed, rye, baked potato, whole wheat, oatmeal, garlic pull-apart and white bread with caraway. All made by hand without using a mixer of any kind. And all proceeds benefitting WBR.

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ANNABEL EVISON
GIVES BACK THROUGH BAT MITZVAH
“I decided to support WBR this year because this was the year I became a bat mitzvah and I decided I wanted to give back by creating my own fundraising page at World Bicycle Relief.”

For her bat mitzvah, Annabel decided to give back to WBR, an organization dear to her heart. In the summer of 2013, she traveled to Zambia with her family and worked with World Bicycle Relief to ride with HIV/AIDS care workers and distribute 500 bikes to a local school. Annabel recalls fondly that she personally presented a bicycle to a girl and her family.

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JORDAN RAPP
OVERCOMES SETBACKS TO GIVE BACK
“In Hawaii, there’s an expression of community: ohana. Ohana means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. And that’s what WBR is about — making sure people who have been forgotten, who have been left behind, no longer are.”

When Jordan thinks about his big challenges – coming back from an accident in 2010, he couldn’t have done it without the support of his immediate family and the larger triathlon community. So he gives back each year, with the help of his greater community, and hosts a large fundraising event for WBR, giving the Power of Bicycles.

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OLIVIA NAJARIAN
7TH GRADER CREATES ETSY ART
“I support World Bicycle Relief because I want everyone, anywhere, to have the opportunity to be what they want to be.”

Seventh-grader Olivia Najarian is a passionate young woman working to empower girls through mobility. Olivia is determined to help provide life-changing transportation to those who need it most by sharing about the Power of Bicycles with students and teachers and by selling handcrafted art on Etsy to benefit our work.

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TED KING
PRO CYCLIST RIDES FOR COMMUNITY
“In the cycling world, community is everything. It’s the relationships you foster, the friends and family you create on the road. Community is a shared sense of purpose, motivation, and drive from like-minded people on two wheels.”

Ted lives a self-described “lucky life” as a professional cyclist. A simple bicycle has given him a tremendous amount and this holiday season he gives back. Ted believes there is no better place than World Bicycle Relief to deliver tangible benefits to those less fortunate.

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TIM RUGG
RIDES AS AN AMBASSADOR
“Community is something that speaks the same language no matter where in the world you are. It means sharing a common goal – wanting the experience of life to be better.”

This year, Tim has about 50 race days planned, including professional events on USA cycling’s national calendar. His goal is to win a pro race. But no matter what, Tim is spreading victory wherever he goes by sharing the transformative Power of Bicycles. Having seen the power of bikes first-hand in Kenya and Uganda, Tim is committed to being an ambassador of the mission of WBR.

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ERIC HOCKMAN
CYCLIST CHANGES LIVES IN COMMUNITY
“Community is an extension of family and having a community-sized family is a good thing to be a part of.”

Eric Hockman created an event called Brews for Bikes, a fundraising effort to benefit WBR. By harnessing the power of his community in Golden, Colorado, he brought together local brewers, restaurateurs, musicians and people in the bicycle industry for one successful night. They rode bikes, drank beer, and best of all, they banded together to help another community on the other side of the world through the Power of Bicycles.

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RORY MACLEOD
CYCLIST RIDES ACROSS AMERICA
“One of the things you learn when you ride a bicycle across the United States is that you are never truly alone. Without community, I could never have accomplished my dream of biking across America, and I’ll never be the same for it.”

This summer, Rory gave up his job, apartment, and most of his belongings to ride across America for the Power of Bicycles. This trip has been a dream of his for a long time. Rory has already raised 100 bicycles as a member of Team WBR.

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TYLER LIU
BICYCLE ENGINEER SEES THE POWER OF BICYCLES IN AFRICA
“Community is a big family and the core of society. If we can start good momentum in the community, we will enlarge all of our positive effects in our society.”

In 2015, Tyler visited Zambia through World Bicycle Relief’s Africa Rides, an annual trip organized to help supporters connect in-person with people in the field. As a SRAM Test Engineer, Tyler has a strong affinity for bicycles already, but being on the Zambian trip amplified his support. “I will never forget the children running to me, cheering and waving,” he says. “I am so touched because I know they are going to have a better life. I see it, and I believe in the Power of Bicycles.”

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CORY AND ANDREA SUTELA
WEDDING WITH A PURPOSE
“We love the feeling of creating something or some experience with a friend. Giving what we can give while others do the same, with the result being more than either could achieve on our own. Community is this creation.”

Cory and Andrea already had everything they needed and simply wanted the support of friends and family on their wedding day. WBR was a natural choice of organization to direct donations in lieu of gifts. On their special day, they wanted to make the world a better place through the Power of Bicycles.

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ASHLEY FULLENWIDER
100 MILES & MORE OF SUPPORT
“World Bicycle Relief is a gift. An invitation to marshal our courage, our resources, and our love of bicycles with others. We build community: each rider, each bike. Solidarity.”

Ashley Fullenwider is a member of Team Nuu-Muu. Nuu-Muu is retail partner of WBR that specializes in women’s activewear. Team Nuu-Muu is a group of fundraisers who ride in the Red-Bell 100 to support WBR. The Red-Bell 100 is a 100 mile ride from Redmond to Bellingham, Washington. As a supporter, Ashley also participated in 2015’s Africa Rides, a WBR-organized trip to Zambia to meet people in the field and understand The Power of Bicycles.

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SONJA JOHNSON
GRUELING 100 MILE RACE RAISES 25 BIKES
“I support WBR because I connect with the means of their mission and the use of bicycles to transform lives as well as the real and immediate impact bicycles have on entire communities.“

Sonja feels extremely fortunate to work in the bicycle industry. She has had the opportunity to ride her bicycle in some of the most beautiful and challenging places on earth. Out of gratitude, she paid it forward this year by raising funds while challenging herself physically and mentally on a grueling, gravel grinder bike race in Idaho.

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TIM HOLT
SRAM EMPLOYEE PARTIES FOR WBR
“I really enjoy the company of my community. My life is full of people around me sharing challenges, triumphs and life experiences. These people are what I care about most.”

SRAM employee Tim Holt wanted to celebrate spring and usher in cycling season in a special way so he threw a party with the Chicago cycling community: the Tenspeed Hero Spring Party. The event was a chance for men’s and women’s amateur bike racing teams to celebrate all in support of World Bicycle Relief. The generous Chicago cycling community came through and the group raised over $1,200, blowing up his fundraising goal of two bikes and ending up with eight.

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INES THOMA
PRO MOUNTAIN BIKER CHAMPIONS WBR
“To help people help themselves with the Power of Bicycles is a wonderful, sustainable and multifunctional way to improve a whole family’s life. As I’m connected to the world of bicycles myself, I am sure that this is a perfect way for me to contribute a tiny part.”

With a 5th place Overall Ranking in the Enduro World Series, professional mountain biker Ines Thoma still manages the time and energy to spread the word about the Power of Bicycles. She frequently gives presentations about WBR and goes to the Christmas Market in her hometown to collect donations. Along with championing the cause through messaging, she creates wearable accessories for her label “endlos” with proceeds going to WBR.

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