2026 INVITATION - It's all because of you!

COVID put the brakes on Bike Lady. But now, WE’RE BACK!

Dear Friends of Bike Lady,

Remember the joy of getting your first new bike? The freedom. The independence. The feeling that the whole world was suddenly within reach?

Now imagine being a child in foster care, wondering who cares about you, what comes next, and whether anyone sees your potential. Imagine receiving your very first new bike while in care and realizing that someone you may never ever meet actually DOES care and believes that you matter.

THAT is Bike Lady. And in 2026, we’re ready to make that happen for 500 more kids.

Since 2008, thanks to people like YOU, Bike Lady has served more than 13,600 youth in foster care, reaching all 88 Ohio counties at least once. We’ve accomplished this as an all-volunteer organization, with the support of our partners, donors, and an extraordinary community that believes every child deserves to feel valued.

COVID slowed us down and nearly stopped us. But we’re rebuilding, refocusing, and preparing for the future. We’re expanding our board, strengthening partnerships, creating new volunteer opportunities, and working to reach the right kids at the right time.

And we’re starting with an ambitious goal:

500 BIKES. 500 KIDS. ONE POWERFUL MESSAGE: YOU MATTER.

Our goal is to put a brand-new bike, helmet, and lock into the hands of 500 Ohio youth in foster care this holiday season.

Here’s how YOU can help make it happen:

• $150 provides one child with a new bike, helmet, and lock
• $300 helps two kids discover freedom and independence
• $750 helps five children experience the joy of owning their very first new bike
• $1,500 helps ten kids experience what it feels like to be seen, valued, and supported

Every gift brings us closer to our goal. And thanks to our continued partnership with Huffy Bicycles, we purchase bikes at wholesale cost, making every donated dollar go further. For little kids, bikes are the best toy, something big, bright and sparkly to hold onto, something all their own. For the teens, bikes are needed transportation that leads to being on a sports team, getting to the library, having a part time job. And we know that greater opportunity leads to much better outcomes for these teens.

THIS IS ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN BICYCLES

Bikes hold promise. You fundamentally alter the trajectory of Ohio foster youth when you give to Bike Lady. When asked what their new bikes mean to them, the kids always say, "It means someone cares what happens to me. Someone loves me. It means hope.” 

Simultaneously, our prison assembly program gives purposeful opportunity for inmates trying to make amends and achieve atonement. Our Prison Peloton participants find that who they were does not need define who they are becoming, and where they are does not need define where they are going. Volunteering with Bike Lady stirs empathy and compassion in the hearts of offenders, and helps offenders offer some measure of restorative justice back to the community, even if just small and symbolic.

Between the recipient and the assembler, every bike you give changes at least two lives, giving a measure of freedom and well-being to both.

ONE BIKE. MANY LIVES CHANGED. COUNTLESS POSSIBILITIES AHEAD

We have the experience. We have the partnerships. We have the determination. And we have YOU, Team Bike Lady. Now we need the resources to make 500 bikes a reality. We need to raise more than $75,000 before mid-November to stay on track for our goal.  

Huffy is ready to ship. The prisons are ready to roll. The counties have given us lists of needs. Now we need YOU!  It's an ambitious challenge to do 500 bikes our first year back, but we can do it if people like you will help - people who believe every child deserves a little more freedom, a little more joy, a little opportunity, and a whole lot more hope.

WILL YOU HELP US PUT A CHILD ON A BIKE IN 2026?

Please consider putting a kid or two on a bike. Give them that freedom, that right of passage, that needed transportation, a huge dose of HOPE, and the lifelong special memory of their very first new bike. Donate today at https://bikelady.org/donate-3 !

COVID put the brakes on Bike Lady. But we’re back, and now it’s time to pick up speed!

500 BIKES. 500 KIDS. ONE INCREDIBLE TEAM!

Will you be a Friend of the Bike Lady? Let’s show Ohio’s youth in foster care that their future matters. LET’S GO, TEAM BIKE LADY! LET’S ROLL!

With gratitude and Bike Love,

Kate Koch
Founder, Bike Lady

PO Box 311, Blacklick, OH 43004
Phone: 614.946.6463
Email: staff@bikelady.org  |  Website: www.bikelady.org  |  Facebook  |  Instagram