WATERLOO, Wis. (BRAIN) — DreamBikes — a nonprofit organization that provides hands-on, paid job training to teens in underserved communities at its used bike shops — has expanded with four new locations.
The organization, which counts Trek Bicycle as a major supporter, has opened new storefronts in Madison, Wisconsin; Calumet City, Illinois; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Rochester, New York. The four new shops join the existing DreamBikes stores in Madison and Milwaukee for six locations nationwide.
Teens employed with DreamBikes learn a variety of skills, including bike service, customer service and experience using point-of-sale software.
DreamBikes also assists employees who wish to continue their education with scholarships for college or further mechanical training. The scholarship program began in 2013 as a memorial to Andrew Meyers, an engineer at Trek Bicycle who tragically passed away that year. The generosity of his family and others has allowed 20 DreamBikes employees to continue their education.
DreamBikes also provides access to bicycles to those who may not otherwise have the means to obtain one.
Since the first store was opened in 2008, DreamBikes has created 194 jobs, returned 15,000 bikes to the community, repaired about 1,200 bikes via mobile repair, and awarded seven mechanical scholarships and 13 other educational scholarships.
All of DreamBikes' inventory is donated by individuals and organizations. The organization continues to seek monetary donations, along with used bikes and components.
More information: dream-bikes.org.
