PORTLAND WHEELERS

Portland Wheelers' primary mission is Outdoor Adapted Biking Fun ... for people who cannot ride a bike by themselves but would love to go for a ride.

We bring "wheelers" (passengers) the freedom of getting out on trails and quiet streets, along rivers and our coastal waterfront. Wheelers interact with people we pass along the way. They get to see the sun and the sky, feel the wind in their hair and its warmth on their skin, hear birds sing, and watch children playing and gardens growing everywhere. Also, wheelers and "pilots" (volunteer pedalers) become good friends as they roll out together every week or two.

Supporting this, we employ a a crew of volunteer pilots, off-bike volunteers, our fleet of six adapted “trikes" (tricycles), and over twenty-five facilities and agencies (residential and day-use) whose clients make up the majority of those we serve. We bring wheelers, pilots, and trikes together five or six days a week, mornings and afternoons, from mid-May through mid-October. We lift spirits and spread joy. Simple pleasures. Profound results. In 2021, throughout Greater Portland, we provided over 1,700 rides.

In addition to continuing to serve our local community, we are beginning to help other communities in Maine and beyond to start up their own programs. Ultimately, our aim for those we serve is to make going for a ride the easy thing it ought to be for everyone.

1) In 2021, our sixth year of operations, we employed a transporter to drive one of our two trucks to ride sites every morning and afternoon, with volunteer transporters responsible for the second truck. In 2022, we intend to hire a second transporter to make full use of our equipment.

2) We are creating a Grants Committee in 2022 to apply for income from this underused revenue stream. We already enjoy a successful Fall Appeal each year and income from a new virtual event in held in 2021.

3) A Strategic Planning session scheduled for our board in early 2022 will help guide us in the future.

Our financial planning is strong. We forecast our income accurately - including business sponsorships, grants, and individual donations - to cover our trike purchases, plan for replacements, and properly maintain our fleet. We can then put our energy into: 1) improving training, appreciation, and retention of our volunteers; 2) refining our relationships with the facilities and agencies we serve; and 3) continually perfecting our standards for pilot/wheeler interactions to ensure every wheeler has a safe, comfortable, and fun experience.

After five seasons of operation, Portland Wheelers has: grown from one trike to six; replaced its original set of trikes with better designed, less expensive equipment; increased the number of volunteers from a handful of pilots to over 70; increased to almost 500 the number of “wheelers” we serve; and, in 2021 alone, given more than 1,700 rides.

To pull our trailers loaded with trikes, we have moved on from using cars volunteered by volunteers to buying and outfitting two used trucks. For equipment storage, we now have a leased garage in Portland.

As we offer rides throughout Greater Portland, our service is seen weekly by thousands of people. Many, many more have seen us on local news stations, and in our daily newspaper, the Portland Press Herald. We are a part of the background and spirit of this community.

Our board has grown into a diverse and passionate engine for the organization. Also, with a range of four significant revenue streams (contributions, grants, a virtual biking event, and sponsorships), we are financially stable.

What's next? In the short term, we plan to: continue increasing the number of people we serve and rides we give; strengthen all systems in anticipation of scaling the service; keep staff overhead down by operating without an executive director; and reach out to communities beyond Greater Portland, helping others to set up their own successful ride programs.

In the long term, we anticipate: a securely funded, stable, Portland Wheelers program that grows at a moderate pace in Greater Portland; training locally supported ride programs around the state and beyond; and, all of us together, serving tens of thousands of people, young and old, living with disabilities.