Our third annual Tailwind for Tools winter fundraiser is here! Last year we set a goal of $5000 and came very close to reaching it. We came in at $4,257.74, making it our most successful fundraiser yet.Thanks to the generosity of our friends, we were able to sponsor more youth rides, train more young adults, give away more bikes, inaugurate new programming, and continue serving the Howard area community in Rogers Park.

Please consider financially supporting The Recyclery’s educational programs this holiday season. Your gifts go a long way in helping The Recyclery share cycling with our community.

Donate Here!

We love you & we need you!

Our achievements this year at The Recyclery!

  • Our volunteers have logged a record number of 3605 hours this year;
  • We have served 1745 patrons during Open Shop;
  • 168 bicycles were given away through the Freecyclery program to people in need;
  • We trained 5 youth interns in bicycle mechanics and worked with 2 long-term interns
  • 25 youth and 3 adults rode through our door on their new (refurbished) bicycles through our Earn-A-Bike program;
  • We added W.T.F. Night  to our programs;

We are grateful to all of our wonderful volunteers, patrons, donors and moral supporters. We could not have done it without you!

A couple of lessons were learned this year as well. After an unfortunate break-in and theft incident we have seriously upgraded our security system, however the high valued items and bicycles were not recovered.

We have also noticed a city-wide decrease in refurbished bicycle sales (which is the main source feeding our programs and operations), thus your support is needed more than ever:

  • $5 donation buys a flat tire repair kit for 1 youth
  • $10 donation covers an hour of Open Shop time for the many in our community who can’t donate
  • $25 donation buys lock and a helmet for 1 youth
  • $75 donation provides 1  Tune-Up Class scholarship
  • $180 donation provides 1 Overhaul Class scholarship
  • $500 fully funds one Earn-a-Bike program for local youth

Any amount – small or large – is very appreciated and helpful ♥

Some workplaces offer to match your donation. Check to see if your employer has such a program. You could encourage your colleagues to donate as well!

The FUN part

The Tailwind For Tools campaign finale is on Valentine’s Day weekend (‘cause we love our Recyclery friends) . You won’t want to miss this year’s Open House party at the shop. This year we are bringing back the funky bike photo booth, bike-part-upcycling crafts, DIY screen printing, food, live music, and adding more fun activities to our all day event.