WATERLOO, Wis., Nov. 11, 2022 — Today, Trek Bicycle and World Bicycle Relief announced their second annual holiday fundraising campaign to provide a reliable means of transportation to rural and underserved communities. Following a successful partnership in 2021 with $1.8 million raised globally, Trek has named World Bicycle Relief’s purpose-built Buffalo Bicycle as their “Bike of the Year” for the second year in a row. Designed specifically to meet the needs of people in rural areas, the Buffalo Bicycle is strong, simply designed, and easy to maintain with the capacity to carry people and heavy cargo over long distances and rugged terrain. Through the end of the year, customers can donate to World Bicycle Relief in-person at a Trek store in the U.S. or Canada or globally on Trek’s website. Trek will be matching donations up to $500,000 with an end goal of $2.5 million for the non-profit.
“In partnership with World Bicycle Relief, we were able to surpass our fundraising goal in 2021 and provided 11,000 Buffalo Bicycles to communities across Africa and South America,” said Trek Bicycle Vice President of Advocacy, Bob Burns. “We are setting our goals even higher this year to get more Buffalo Bicycles into communities in order to help additional recipients conquer the challenge of distance and achieve independence.”
Trek Bicycle has been a World Bicycle Relief partner since the organization was founded in 2005 and worked hand in hand with the World Bicycle Relief team to design the first Buffalo Bicycle prototype. These bicycles are delivered to African, southeast Asian, and south American countries and help students, health workers, farmers, and entrepreneurs mobilize their communities. The bikes are locally assembled and distributed with trained program representatives to provide quality maintenance and assistance and help create a more sustainable infrastructure.
“Women and girls who were once hassled, exhausted, late to school and worse – can now cut their transportation time in more than half, build their confidence and stay in school,” Johanna Vega, World Bicycle Relief’s Program Manager in Colombia, describes the impact World Bicycle Relief and the Buffalo Bicycle has had on communities near her. “The Buffalo Bicycle has been a game changer for them and their communities.”
To make a donation to the holiday campaign, consumers can go to trekbikes.com/wbr-donate or visit one of Trek’s in-store locations in the U.S. or Canada to donate in person. The holiday campaign will run from November 7 – December 31, 2022. To learn more about World Bicycle Relief’s efforts, visit worldbicyclerelief.org.
About Trek Bicycle
Trek Bicycle is a global leader in the design and manufacturing of bicycles and related products. Trek believes the bicycle can be a simple solution to many of the world’s most complex problems and is committed to breaking down the barriers that prevent people from using bicycles more often for transportation, recreation, and inspiration.
About World Bicycle Relief
Founded in 2005, World Bicycle Relief mobilizes people through The Power of Bicycles®. World Bicycle Relief accomplishes its mission by distributing specially designed, high-quality bicycles through philanthropic and social enterprise programs. These purpose-designed bicycles are built to withstand the challenging terrain and conditions in rural, developing areas.
Entrepreneurs use bicycles to increase productivity and profits. Students attend class more regularly and their academic performances improve. And health workers visit more patients in less time, providing better, more consistent care. World Bicycle Relief also promotes local economies and long-term sustainability by assembling bicycles locally and training field mechanics to service the bicycles.
To date, World Bicycle Relief has delivered more than 675,000 bicycles and trained more than 2,700 field mechanics in Africa, Southeast Asia and South America. World Bicycle Relief is a registered nonprofit in the USA, Canada, U.K., Germany, Switzerland and Australia, and has assembly facilities in Colombia, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
SOURCE Trek Bicycle Corporation