Mission statement

Freewheels Houston provides reliable bicycles, helmets, lights and locks to people who need everyday transportation to get to work, school and other destinations.

Why we do it

By improving mobility, Freewheels bikes empower people—including refugees, veterans emerging from homelessness, young people and others—to stay healthy and connected and take advantage of opportunities available in the Houston community.

How we do it

Our bikes are donated by people from across the Houston area, repaired by volunteers and distributed through schools and social service partners. We rely on the generosity of donors to pay for parts, supplies and safety equipment and maintain our well-equipped bike repair shop in southwest Houston.

A brief history of Freewheels

Freewheels was established by members of Christ the King Lutheran Church and BikeHouston in October 2015 to provide bikes to refugees. We opened our bike repair shop in the Gulfton area in 2017 and expanded our distribution strategy to include veterans emerging from homelessness and young people from low-income families. Freewheels became a nonprofit corporation with a 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS in 2019. We have increased our output from 190 bikes in 2021 to 711 bikes in 2024. Last year, 489 people volunteered a total of 6,015 hours to repair and distribute bikes.Freewheels Houston gives people freedom by giving them mobility.

Partnerships

We have strong partnerships across the community to achieve our mission.

Freewheels was launched to help refugees resettling in Houston. We have worked with YMCA International Services, Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston, the ECDC Houston Multicultural Center, Catholic Charities and Church World Service.

We support the Houston community’s goal of ending veteran homelessness through our work with USVETS, the Veterans Administration, Salvation Army, Combined Arms and Warriors’ Refuge in West Columbia.

Freewheels Houston has ongoing program to deliver bikes to 5th- and 6th-graders at Klentzman and Mata Intermediate Schools in Alief Independent School District. Working with Communities in Schools and school staff, our bikes have been used to reward perfect attendance and improvement in academic and social areas. We have provided bikes to middle- and high-school aged refugees who participate in after-school programs operated by PAIR Houston–the Partnership for the Advancement & Immersion of Refugees.

We rely on many institutions in Houston for support—funding, volunteers and prayers:

Faith communities including Christ the King Lutheran Church, Congregation Emanu El, Christ the Servant Lutheran Church and Salem Lutheran Church,
Foundations including the Baxter Trust, the Scott Wizig Family Fund at the Greater Houston Community Foundation and the Arnold Foundation.
We have received employee volunteer grants and matching gifts from ExxonMobil, Chevron, Microsoft, Shell and AIG.
BikeHouston has been a close partner for many years, raising awareness of our program throughout the city.
Bike shops—including Gear Monkey Bike Repair in Pearland, Cool Cat Cycles in Katy and Trek Bikes, REI and student-run Rice Bikes in Houston–have been sources of bikes as well as parts and safety equipment that help make bikes more reliable and safer to ride.

Volunteers drive the Freewheels mission

Our volunteers come from many parts of the Houston community, brought together because they enjoy working on bikes and providing transportation alternatives to people starting a new chapter of their lives in Houston.

Our volunteers come from all over the city and many walks of life. We appreciate the support of Volunteer Houston, a program of Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston. Volunteer Houston’s platform helps connect volunteers with opportunities at Freewheels and many other nonprofit organizations.

Houston’s corporate sector plays an important role in encouraging service projects. Freewheels has worked with employees and retirees from Dow Chemical, Marine Well Containment Company, AIG, Shell Oil Company, Chevron, Microsoft and other Houston-based and global firms.