Wheels of Love 2018

We are so excited that you will be joining us on the best cycling adventure in Israel! The funds that you raise are essential for ALYN to help thousands of children receive the very best in rehabilitative care. This year, we are introducing ways to recognize riders who go beyond the minimum donation threshold. We have all sorts of great gifts as a token of our appreciation for each level you achieve.

But the main gift you will have will be the knowledge that YOU went beyond what was required for the sake of helping children receive the care that they need and deserve.

It takes just a little more effort to go beyond the minimums. But when you consider that every additional dollar you raise means more resources to help the children of ALYN, it’s not that hard. When you raise at least $5,000, we will give you the choice of ALYN Wheels of Love branded riding gloves, socks, or bandannas. 

This year’s long sleeve jersey is very special. It is specifically designed for cold weather riding. While — hopefully — you will not need to wear it during the ride, it will be very useful when you are training in the dead of winter for next year’s ride.  You cannot purchase these great jerseys. They are exclusively our gift to riders who raise at least $8,000. Plus, you also get your choice of gloves, socks, or bandannas. Join this select group and help the children of ALYN!

Those who raise at least $10,000 deserve a very special gift. This year, for the first time we have a gift that you will truly relish when you are off the bike. Our VIP fundraisers will be given a luxurious robe with the ALYN logo prominently displayed. These robes are the from the same company that provides robes to the King David hotel. After a long day in the saddle, what could be better that taking a hot shower and relaxing wrapped in an ALYN VIP robe.

Riders who raise $15,000 or more will be able to treat themselves and their friends to fine Israeli wines that we have hand selected to thank our friends. The baskets will be delivered to riders’ hotel rooms during the ride. Of course riders at this level also will receive all the earlier gifts. 

Those who can raise $25,000 not only will receive the gift basket, VIP robe, winter riding jersey, and their choice of ALYN branded gloves, bandannas, or socks, but they will receive a free hotel room upgrade for the 2019 Wheels of Love ride. Simply put – -we want you back. 

We want riders who have raised at least $36,000 to return so much that we will fly you to Israel and register you for free for next year’s ride. Plus, of course, you get all the other gifts detailed above. But the best reward will be knowing how many lives your hard work has changed.

Our final fundraising champions will be honored at our awards dinner and receive a beautiful plaque in recognition of their achievements. This plaque will be hung for all to see in ALYN Hospital. of course, you will also receive all of the gifts above, including the airline ticket and free registration for the 2019 Wheels of Love ride. 

You will also have the gratitude of many, many children. Some of them cannot walk, speak, or even breathe on their own. But they all will appreciate your efforts on their behalf.

Thank you from all of us.

You are a cyclist, right?

Sure, you know how to get into great shape for the ride. But fundraising? For many of you, fundraising is some scary uncharted territory.

No worries, my friend. Fundraising is much easier and rewarding than you think, especially when you are raising money for such an incredible cause. Raising money for the children of ALYN is so compelling, that people are usually more than happy to help. How do we know this?  We have the benefit of 18 years of experience and thousands of successful fundraising riders to prove it.

Before you can effectively ask others for help, it is important that you know a bit about the young heroes on whose behalf you are riding.

Here’s what 13 year old Zina said when, after 14 months of intensive rehabilitation at ALYN after a devastating car accident, she was finally able to return home:

“After my accident, I never thought I would be myself again but ALYN made it possible. They never gave up on me even when I gave up on myself.  ALYN gave me the strength, the tools and the desire to face the future.   They loved me and believed in me and showed me how to overcome every obstacle. Thank you ALYN, from the bottom  of my heart.”

ALYN treats thousands of children like Zina each year. These are real children, not abstract statistics. Every dollar you raise is used by ALYN to provide state of the art treatment to the children who seek our help every day. Learn more about the children of ALYN’s kids whose lives have been changed by the money raised by riders just like you. (See the section below “Meet some of the children of ALYN.”

Four Simple Steps: Fundraising can be broken down into four simple steps.

Step #1 — Aim high: Set an ambitious and inspiring fundraising goal for yourself. Although the minimum you need to raise is between $3,000 and $4,000, we KNOW that you can raise more. If you can ride for 5 days straight, up and down hills, through all types of weather, you can certainly go the extra mile for the children of ALYN. More than half the riders raise at least $5,000. That’s a great goal. Please consider starting there.

Step #2 — Make a personal donation. This can be even a small amount. But to convince others to make a contribution, it is always helpful to lead by example. Your registration fees go into paying for the Ride logistics. But donations are used to help the children.

Step #3 — Ask Friends and Family. It’s always best to start with the easiest sell so start with family and close friends. Explain what you are doing. Suggest an amount that you know they can manage. Before you know it, you will be making progress toward your goal.

Step #4 — Ask Everyone! Write that email, send the WhatsAPP or make those calls! There is a basic rule in ALL fundraising: The main reason people give is that they have been asked by someone they know and trust. That person is YOU!

Tell your friends your goal and how much more you need to achieve it. Don’t sell yourself short! We believe in you, and you should too!

Remember that you are giving your friends the opportunity to join you in an extraordinary act of kindness. ASK for the donation. Believe it or not, many people write terrific letters but then forget to actually ask for a donation.

You need to be direct and explain that they can donate online through your personal fundraising page, they can give you a check, or they can even give you cash which you can bring to ALYN.

But make sure to ask and it’s often helpful to ask for a specific amount. Sometimes people want to help but are unsure what is appropriate. If you suggest an amount, they will be more likely to give. Some people who would gladly give $500 give $50 because they weren’t asked for a higher amount.

Everyone!

You will be amazed at the possibilities if you consider friends, relatives, neighbors, colleagues, acquaintances from school, college, synagogue, the health club, biking buddies, mutual members of professional associations and business associates.

Thank You Letters: Make sure to send a short, personal thank you to each sponsor. Of course, your sponsors will also receive an official thank you and receipt from ALYN but there is nothing like the personal touch and everyone loves to be appreciated.

Timing: Although donations will still be accepted after the ride (until February 15, 2018), please try to complete your fundraising goal before the ride begin on October 29th. So in addition to your training on the bike, NOW is the time to make that phone call or send that email reminder!

Set aside some time and see what you can do — TODAY! Don’t forget about businesses and corporations that may earmark allocations to charitable causes and/or for public and community relations. Wheels of Love offers outstanding public relations opportunities in exchange for Corporate Sponsorships (If you have a lead that might result in a corporate sponsorship opportunity, please contact Chaim Wizman at cwizman@alyn.org).

The more you get to know about the children at ALYN and the miracles they accomplish each day, the better an ambassador you will be.

Read our information materials, visit the ALYN Hospital website and watch the video clips.

If you are in Israel, take a tour of ALYN and experience the magic firsthand. ALYN help children recover from severe injuries sustained in terrorist attacks, road accidents, head and spinal trauma, cancer treatment, and other conditions requiring extensive rehabilitation. Many children here also have been born with congenital disabilities.

ALYN’s ultimate goal is to return children to their homes with the ability to function as independently as possible. All Ride donations go directly to cover the shortfall in the costs of the of the treatment we provide to the children. ALYN has been awarded the prestigious Middot award recognizing it’s unique work and efficient utilization of donor funds. So on behalf of the children, thanks so much for your kindness.

Write those LETTERS Make those PHONE CALLS Keep up your TRAINING Make a DIFFERENCE! See you in October.

Odelia came to the Pediatric Respiratory Rehabilitation Department at ALYN just a month after her 12th birthday when she unexpectedly became severely ill. When she first arrived, she was unable to get out of her hospital bed or even to open her eyes, although she was conscious and able to respond to “yes/no” questions by nodding or shaking her head. The Speech and Language Therapists at ALYN taught her and her mother how to communicate by spelling out a word – her mother would say the Hebrew letter aleph, and then Odelia would respond with her head movements to indicate whether or not that was the correct letter, then her mother would say the letter bet, then gimmel and so on until Odelia had spelled out the word that she was trying to express. After a long time receiving treatment at ALYN, she was successfully weaned from the respirator and can now breathe independently, communicate verbally and is even beginning to walk with the aid of a walker!

In the blink of an eye Shira’s world crashed around her. She was 6 and riding home with her mother when, out of nowhere, a speeding car broadsided them. When Shira woke up in the hospital, she had completely lost the use of both legs. But what she did not lose that day was her gorgeous smile, her laughter, her courage, and her fierce determination that this was not going to get in the way of living life to the fullest.

It was every parent’s nightmare. After developing a fever, three-month-old Or was admitted to the hospital where it was discovered that he had no calcium in his body and that he had a heart defect. The prognosis was grim: The doctors said that Or would need to be connected to a respirator for life. He would never be able to walk or even bounce a ball. That’s when Or’s mother decided to get a second opinion—from ALYN. The staff at ALYN taught Or how to drive an electric wheelchair. For the first time in his young life, Or had freedom. Now eight years old, Or sweeps through the halls of ALYN in his motorized chair, shouting “I am fast! I am up! I am high!”

Noam Weinberg has worked incredibly hard to lead what he calls a “normal” life. Just over two years ago, a car accident left him with a serious head injury, unconscious for several weeks. His family and friends were extremely worried that he might never recover. Yet Noam never gave up hope. He spent hours and hours in therapy at ALYN. Last year, Noam “opened” the ride by cutting the ribbon at the start line. But for Noam, this was not nearly enough. As one of his friends said, “he does not give up, so you cannot give up on yourself.” He has spent the last year obliterating everyone’s expectations and last year, he road the full five days in the on-road group.

When Adina Elbaz was just 16, she was hit by a minibus while crossing the street. She suffered a catastrophic head injury and was treated for 18 months at ALYN. At first, Adina lacked all muscle function. She could not speak or even make eye contact. Over the months, she amazed her therapists with her ferocious determination. She even decided to start training on a tandem bike. Rocky Brody, her biking partner and a veteran ALYN rider, said that when they get to a hard hill, it is Adina who inspires her by refusing to give up. Last year, Adina joined us for significant sections of the On-Road Route.  

This year ALYN formed a partnership with the non-profit organization JGIVE to enable us to receive donations in shekels, American dollars, and Canadian dollars all on one website. (They are hoping to add the option of giving in British Pounds soon.)

Jgive works with over 400 Israeli non-profit groups like ALYN Hospital to help them raise money in an efficient, cost-effective process.The donations are officially received by Jgive’s American and Canadian affiliates before being transferred to ALYN Hospital.

For U.S. dollar donations that is the Friends of Asor Fund and for Canadian dollars it is the Neeman Foundation. These names will appear on donation receipts which also will specify that the donation was for a rider in the ALYN Ride. As soon as a donation is given, the details appear on the rider’s fundraising page. 

Friends of ASOR Fund is an official US 501(c)3 organization and Neeman Foundation is registered with the Canadian tax authorities so that ALYN donations that are collected through these organizations are tax exempt in accordance with U.S. and Canadian law.

Does Jgive charge ALYN for its services?

Jgive is itself a not for profit organization and as such does not charge a subscription fee, registration fee, or charge per donation. All of Jgive’s services are offered for free excepting the credit card processing fee and a small amount to cover the costs of the automatic digital receipts, credit charge fee, and transfer to ALYN’s Israeli account.

Read more about JGIVE here.

Wheels of Love welcomes the formation of teams.  Team fundraising can be a useful and effective tool to maximize fundraising efforts and create a healthy sense of camaraderie among team members and good-natured competition with other teams.

Teams should be formed when a group of riders plan to be soliciting donations from the same donor. We can set up a team fund raising page which will be in addition to a riders personal fundraising page. Riders can send either page to their donors.

When a donor makes a team gift, the donation is split evenly among all team members registered to the team at the time the gift is given. However, each Team Rider still has an individual fundraising obligation which remains even if the Team has satisfied or surpassed its overall Team fundraising obligation.

In other words, even if one member of a team is raising far more than the minimum, other members of the team must still meet their obligations. The only cases where this does not apply is teams made up of immediate family members.