Organization - Wheels To Africa

Wheels to Africa is an organization whose principal purpose is to collect and send bicycles to needy communities in Africa and America. A secondary principal purpose of Wheels to Africa is to serve as an educational and volunteer platform for children and youth -- to educate them on how their quality of life compares with the poorest world communities and to perpetuate a "pass it on" commitment in them to recognize, aid and assist people less fortunate.

Description:
Wheels to Africa is a youth led organization that seeks to instill a "pass it on" approach in all of their young volunteers. Elementary students donate their first bike, then they volunteer at the bike collection sites, and then they go to Africa to volunteer, thereby experiencing the full cycle of giving and seeing the whole picture. The impact is an on-going sense of belonging to a community of care.

History:
Wheels to Africa, based in Arlington, has been collecting bikes in the metro DC area since 2005. Wheels to Africa has collected over 5000 bikes that have been shipped to communities in Uganda, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On December 8th, 2012 Wheels to Africa had its largest collection to date, accepting over 1000 donated bikes in one day.

Contact person: Dixie Duncan, Executive Director, (703) 919-0570, (email)

Address:

3550 N. Somerset Street Arlington, VA 22213 (See a map)