After cleaning his garage, Bud Wendt wanted to find an outlet for some unneeded bicycle parts. He recalled that Freewheels Houston had been the beneficiary of mission offerings at Christ the King Lutheran Church, where he attends worship every week.

A tour of the shop led to an invitation to volunteer.

"I came and cleaned donated bicycles to prepare them for repair," Bud said. "Bill Chapman — the shop manager and a member of Christ the King Lutheran — suggested that I try my hand with the mechanics' team the next week, and I have been working on bicycles every week since then."

Bud is part of a corps of regular volunteer bike mechanics who helped Freewheels repair and distribute 780 bikes in 2025. He also directs Thrivent Choice Dollars to Freewheels — putting his financial support behind the same mission he shows up for every week.

"Beyond the personal satisfaction of making a donated bicycle usable and safe again, helping Freewheels enhance the mobility of veterans and refugees and to give kids their first bicycle has intrinsic worth in the vein of Matthew 25:40."

Matthew 25:40 reads: "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"

Are you a Thrivent Financial member?

You can support Freewheels Houston the way Bud does — through Thrivent Choice. When you direct your Choice Dollars to Freewheels, you're funding the parts and safety equipment that turn a donated bike into reliable transportation for a neighbor who needs it. A $50 contribution covers everything a rider needs to get safely on the road — parts, a helmet, a lock and lights.

Your 2026 Thrivent Choice Dollars are available now and can be directed anytime through December 31.

How to direct your Choice Dollars to Freewheels Houston:

Log in to your Thrivent account at thrivent.com, navigate to Thrivent Choice, and search for Freewheels Houston. It takes about two minutes. Thrivent pays all processing fees, so 100% goes directly to Freewheels.

About Freewheels Houston

Since 2015, Freewheels Houston volunteers have repaired and distributed more than 3,000 bikes to Houstonians who need reliable transportation. Every bike is donated, every repair is done by volunteers, and every dollar goes directly to the parts and safety equipment that complete the job.

A bike doesn't solve everything. But it solves something immediate and important — it gives people the ability to move through their lives on their own terms.

Questions? Contact us at info@freewheelshouston.org or visit freewheelshouston.org.