Denver (PRWEB)
September 07, 2022

Wish for Wheels, a 501c3 non-profit based in Denver, Colorado that serves second-graders in Title I schools with new bikes and helmets through corporate team-building experiences, today announced its goal to annually reach all 13,000 second graders in Title I schools in the Denver metro area and expand its efforts to impact the lives of children across the country. The announcement was made today at Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer Elementary as Wish for Wheels and corporate partner, Pro’s Closet, gifted new bicycles and helmets to 80 second graders.

Wish for Wheels was founded in 2004 by Denver resident Brad Appel to provide more kids with the joys and benefits of biking. Since then, under Appel’s leadership and through the generosity of corporate partners, Wish for Wheels’ Team Build & Give Program has placed more than 75,000 bikes in the hands of kids. In 2019 (pre-pandemic), Wish gifted a record-number 7,000 bikes and helmets to Title I second graders.

Through the Team Build & Give Program, Wish for Wheels matches schools with businesses and organizations who “adopt” a second-grade class year after year. Over the past 18 years, these dedicated contributors have made Wish for Wheels’ outreach a sustained service to under-resourced seven- and eight-year-olds.

As the 2022-23 school year begins, Wish for Wheels has scheduled Team Build & Give’s scheduled with community partners, including Bank of the West, Colorado Retina, Dohn Construction, Gates Corporation, Occidental Petroleum, PDC Energy, Pro’s Closet, Project Canary, Nakupuna, SRS Acquiom, and VF Corp, to serve approximately 5,000 kids. This leaves an opportunity for businesses of all sizes to fill the gap and help Wish for Wheels gift every Title I second grader in the Denver metro area a new bike and helmet this school year.

The goal to expand and annually sustain Wish for Wheels’ Team Build & Give Program is driven by a combination of social issues present in today’s US culture, including poor nutritional habits and the growing lack of physical activity due to increased screen time. Encouraging children to ride a bike is a means of establishing healthy physical habits, which promote healthy emotional and cognitive development. Research shows:

• 
  Sixty minutes of moderate daily activity has substantial health benefits on school-aged youth ages 6-17 Walking and cycling to school significantly improves general health by reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.
• Learning how to ride a bike can instill a sense of confidence and self-fulfillment through the experience of competence mastery.
• Among children with ADHD, cycling positively alters brain activity towards more “normal” brain patterns, increased attention span, boosted mood, and improved fitness and BMI after only one ride.

To reach its ambitious goal — and beyond — Wish for Wheels’ Board of Directors has unanimously appointed Greg Greenwood as CEO and Executive Director. Greenwood, who served on Wish’s board for the past five years, will step in to lead the Wish for Wheels’ strategy for Colorado and national expansion. Working in tandem with Founder and Chairman Brad Appel, Greenwood will expand engagement with the Denver business community, lead growth, and oversee operations.

“Greg has worked alongside me and fellow Wish for Wheels board members and volunteers for more than five years, so I know what an impactful leader he is,” Appel said. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome his leadership as we move Wish for Wheels into our next growth phase. As we emerge from these challenging pandemic times, Wish for Wheels is poised for growing our mission across Colorado and the United States. With Greg’s inspirational leadership and business acumen, he will bring clarity to our vision, further develop, and expand our talented team, and execute our mission to impact a significantly greater populous of America’s youth.”

Greenwood, an avid adventure athlete who knows first-hand the physical and emotional benefits of biking and cycling, brings more than 35 years of leadership and entrepreneurial experience to his new role as CEO/ED. He was most recently CEO of Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network in Colorado where he served CEO members to navigate their strategic growth and organizational challenges. Prior, Greenwood was the founder and interim CEO of Colorado Thought Leaders Forum, which focuses on ensuring the success of CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners. Greenwood has worked directly with inner-city youth for 35+ years through Big Brothers Big Sisters, Sun Valley Youth Center and Here’s Life Inner City. He served as a board member of Wish for Wheels for the past five years and is currently on the board of Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network and Moab Scholarship Fund.

“Brad’s vision has yielded an outreach to Title I second graders so they can truly realize their potential by giving them their first bike and the freedom that comes with it,” Greenwood said. “It is through Brad’s creativity that Wish for Wheels’ Build & Give team building experiences are so meaningful for all participants. When we give a child a bike, we give companies so much more than a team building experience, we give them a meaningful experience that helps under-resourced children. I look forward to working alongside Brad, our Board, our team members, as well as our corporate partners to continue to achieve our focused mission.”

About Wish for Wheels

Wish for Wheels is a 501c3 non-profit organization based in Denver, Colorado that gifts brand new bikes and helmets to second-graders in Title I (meal-subsidized schools) through corporate philanthropy team building and gifting experiences. Board members include Lindsay Ah Loo, Greg Anton, Lance Armstrong, Jeff Ayres, Justin England, Amanda Gash, Lauren Hemphill, Stacie McWilliams, Andy Shober, and Katie Tate.

The organization has over 18 years of hands-on experience serving low-income communities by gifting over 75,000 bikes and helmets to 7-and 8-year-old children to help awaken them to the joy, confidence and freedom that comes with biking and being physically active.

About Pro’s Closet

The Pro’s Closet (TPC), headquartered in Louisville, CO, is the world’s largest and most trusted brand for pre-owned bikes. TPC purchases new and pre-owned bikes and accessories from manufacturers, retailers, and individuals and offers a customer-friendly online shopping experience.

To attend an upcoming Wish for Wheels Team Build & Give event at a Denver-area school, contact Jamie Cole at jamie@wishforwheels.org or 720-563-7384.

For more information on Wish for Wheels and how to adopt a Denver Title I school, please visit: http://www.wishforwheels.org

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