Turning Wheels for Kids (TWFK) is an organization that provides bikes and helmets to kids to prevent childhood obesity and support low-income families. It’s an all-volunteer organization working in partnership with community groups such as the Valley Medical Center Foundation and the Santa Clara Fire Department, as well as corporate sponsors such as Specialized Bicycles, Raleigh America and and the San Francisco 49ers.
Bikes are one of the Christmas gifts most requested by kids. Each year on a Saturday morning early in December TWFK hold their Big Bike Build (BBB) at the San Jose Convention Center, where hundreds of volunteers from many different clubs and companies come together to assemble a few thousand bikes to be given away to deserving kids.
Most team members will assemble bikes, from coaster-brake kids' bikes to mountain bikes and full road bikes. A few will be needed as first-line quality inspectors to review the assembled bikes before they go to the central collection/final QA station. Volunteers can also help with onsite check-in of registrants, clearing bike cartons and trash from the work areas to recycling bins, and/or unloading unassembled boxed bikes and loading assembled bikes into trucks.
You need not have experience assembling or maintaining bikes to put together bikes at this event. If you know how to use a hex/allen key, a wrench, a screwdriver and a bike pump, you have the necessary skills. Assemblers will need to bring basic tools such as hex keys/allen wrenches, open-end wrenches, screwdrivers, pedal wrenches and floor pumps. Bike workstands and/or knee pads are also useful to have. TWFK provides breakfast, lunch and T-shirts, as well as validated parking (though they strongly encourage carpooling as parking spaces are limited).
There's a silly hat contest at the event, with prizes, so bring your silly hat to wear!
Please register here so the TWFK organizers will know how large a work area to assign to our team. Starting November 5, we will need to register all Western Wheelers volunteers at the TWFK–BBB event site, also for free. Last year registration opened at 10 am and all available openings were filled by 10:45 am. On-site at the BBB there will be raffles you can choose to take part in.
Participation in TWFK-BBB requires accepting their Release:
In consideration for being permitted to participate as a volunteer at Bike Build 2016, hereby release and discharge TurningWheels for Kids, VMC Foundation, San Jose Convention Center, Team San Jose and their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, contractors, subcontractors, representatives, successors and assigns, and all persons conducting, directly or indirectly, the activities surrounding my involvements as a volunteer at Bike Build 2016 from any and all claims, rights, demands, actions, causes of actions, expenses and damages, which I or my heirs, personal representative, successors, assigns or anyone claiming by, through or under me ever had, now have, or may have against the parties identified above arising from any injury, act or omission relating in the way of my participation as a volunteer. I fully understand that this is a Release that includes, but is not limited to any claims, rights, demands, actions, causes of actions, expenses and damages whatsoever which may arise from any injury, act or omission, caused, occasioned, or contributed to, actually or allegedly, by the negligence, sole or concurrent, of one or more of the parties released herein. I understand there is no monetary compensation for any volunteer services provided at the event. I fully understand that a volunteer under 18 years of age must be accompanied and supervised at all times by a parent, guardian or responsible adult. I also fully understand the risk involvement in my participation as a volunteer including, but not limited to, those risks involved with assembling bicycles and the working with tools (including power tools), and fully assume said risk for any injury, losses or damages of any kind resulting from such risks involved in associated activities. I also understand that photos/videos will be taken at this event and used in media and print materials and my own image may appear in these mediums with no compensation oweable for any reason. I acknowledge that I have read, fully understand and voluntarily agree to the Release and that no oral representatives, statements or inducements apart from this Release have been made to me.
