May 24, 2007

Spinning it forward

AVAC sponsors Turning Wheels for Kids fund-raiser

By Jeanne Carbone Lewis
Staff Writer

Almaden Valley Athletic Club [AVAC] hosted a fund-raiser benefiting the nonprofit organization Turning Wheels for Kids this past weekend. The Super Spin event was a perfect fit having members sign up for a $50 donation and spin for bicycles for the organization whose motto is “making a better world one bike at a time.”

Spinning for a cause. Turning Wheels for Kids executive director Sue Runsvold, AVAC staff Stephanie Mudgett, Jean Cook Braun, Becky Smothermon, and Sue Davis. Photo by Jeanne Carbone Lewis

“This was a hallmark,” said Turning Wheels for Kids executive director Sue Runsvold. “AVAC called us and said they’d like to support us. It has taken it to a new level. You can become consumed with fund-raising. This was great.”

AVAC partnered with Turning Wheels for Kids, an organization that encourages active lifestyles among underprivileged children to enrich their lives through exercise. The two-hour spinning session was held on AVAC’s outdoor swimming pool deck with certified spinning instructors and choreographed to a live music DJ.

“This was fabulous,” said AVAC director of marketing Jean Cook Braun. “We were looking for a cause—something related to fitness and kids—and it was a lot of fun.”

Turning Wheels
Three years ago, Runsvold had a vision to buy bikes at Christmas and give them to underprivileged children. She collected money from friends and colleagues at Valley Medical Center where she works as a nurse and donated 12 bikes in 2003 to San Jose Fire Department [SJFD] to distribute to kids who might not receive any other gifts during the holidays. In 2004, 40 bicycles were donated. The passion continued and the Almaden-based Turning Wheels for Kids was born, and distributed over 1,000 bikes for the 2006 holiday season.

Spinning all the way to December. More than 50 members of the Almaden Valley Athletic Club participated in the first-ever two-hour Super Spin to benefit Turning Wheels for Kids. Each ‘spinner’ purchased a spin workout in order to provide a bike for a child in time for the 2007 holiday season.

Today, Turning Wheels for Kids enjoys partnerships with the Santa Clara County Medical Center Foundation, Pediatric Lifestyle Modification Clinic, SJFD, San Jose Homeless Shelter and others. These organizations help draw children outdoors and address issues such as Juvenile Type II diabetes and high blood pressure directly related to childhood obesity.

“Our mission encompasses child obesity,” said Runsvold. “And it instills a love for the outdoors and exercise. What you find with this program is children, bikes, holidays and joy.”

This year Turning Wheels has raised the ante with a goal of 1,534 bicycles and safety helmets; the total of all bikes donated previously. The nonprofit builds all the cycles with the help of dedicated volunteers. Runvold is planning a Vegas casino night in October to raise needed donations as well as planning clinics to teach kids how to repair bikes or fix a flat tire as well as the guidance of adult mentors in the children’s’ lives.

For more information on Turning Wheels for Kids, visit www.turningwheelsforkids.org or call (408) 885-5203. Donations are 100 percent tax deductible.