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Board Executive Digests News Volunteers Youth Bike Club

Spring Update: Growing Our Impact in 2026

A Message from Andy, Executive Director

Spring has officially arrived in Everett, and at Sharing Wheels, the season of growth is already in full bloom. After a record-breaking year in 2025, we entered 2026 with a simple question: How do we take this incredible momentum and turn it into lasting community impact?

The first three months of the year have been filled with preparation (and perspiration!) as we made strides toward supporting more program participants and making our operations more sustainable.

We kicked off the year with our Annual Meeting at Scuttlebutt with a packed group of supporters, partners, and community leaders. The gathering was so well attended we discovered a new need: a microphone! Beyond the standing-room-only crowd, we were proud to elect our 2026 Board of Directors, led by returning President Christina S, and honor the outgoing leaders who helped build the foundation we stand on today.

In March, our board, staff, and volunteer leadership gathered at Sno-Isle Food Coop for an inaugural leadership retreat. As we approach our 25th anniversary, this was a vital opportunity to reflect on our values and evaluate how we can best further our mission and impact. If you’re interested in taking on more leadership, I highly recommend attending one of our monthly board or team meetings!

Our Youth Bike Club continues to be a heartbeat of the organization. Our winter cohort recently graduated, celebrating their new skills with an alumni work party at the shop. Looking ahead, we are thrilled to announce our expansion to Everett High School in the Fall. To lead this effort, we have welcomed Sam W as our new Youth Program Coordinator. A “bike-everywhere” enthusiast, Sam will be a familiar face in the classroom and the shop as we prepare for our first week-long intensive summer cohort in June.

If you’ve visited the shop lately, you may have noticed some changes. We welcomed Auriea M as our new shop manager and since then the team has been hard at work preparing the shop for the sunny months ahead. Already, we are seeing double the service volume compared to this time last year, a testament to the growing community of cyclists in Everett.

On top of revising some of our storage, the shop team completed a major project to move our bike inventory into our point-of-sale system. This allows us to track our bikes better and automatically list our available stock on our website, making it easier than ever for you to find your next ride.

Please join us this Saturday, May 2nd, for our Bike Love film screening! This event is shaping up to be an epic night of cinematography and inspiration, and it’s a vital fundraiser for our growing programs. Tickets are $25, and we already have some fantastic raffle prizes lined up. You can preview the event (and the prizes) on our website at sharingwheels.org/bikelove.

For all the work our staff and leadership have put in, our growth and success is truly only possible because of you. With your support last year, we provided oodles of bikes to our community, put tools in the hands of riders needing repairs, and taught more of our community how to ride. Whether you are a monthly donor supporting our youth program or a regular volunteer in the shop, you are what keeps Sharing Wheels moving.

As we gear up for our busiest season yet, our goal remains simple: to keep bicycling accessible, affordable, and fun for everyone in our community. We have the plan, we have the momentum, and most importantly, we have the support of people like you to make it happen.

Thank you for being part of the journey.

-Andy

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Board News Volunteers

Christina Strand: Helping People on the Move

We are proud to share that our board president, Christina Strand, is a finalist for the Herald Business Journal’s annual Emerging Leaders Award for 2025. You can learn more about her in their recently printed article: Christina Strand: Helping people on the move | HeraldNet.com

Christina got her commuting bike at Sharing Wheels in 2021 and used our DIY tools to install fenders (a necessity for a year-round bike commuter). In 2022 we recruited her to join the board. She was elected board president in 2024.

Christina works as a community engagement specialist for Community Transit. She is the vice chair of the City of Everett’s Transportation Advisory Committee.

She has volunteered with Everett Bike Walk and participated in Bike Everywhere Day, Week Without a Car, and Ride in the Rain.

Christina has served the Bayside Neighborhood Association as chair, treasurer and secretary. She appreciates the positive impact biking can have for people and communities.

“I see public transportation, biking, and walking as the future that cannot only change our city but also help globally with climate issues.”

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Board News

A Warm Welcome from our New Director

By Andrew Gordon, Executive Director

Hello, everyone!

I’m Andy, and I’m thrilled to be joining Sharing Wheels as the new Executive Director (see staff bio). I’ve been so impressed by the incredible work you all do to make biking accessible and affordable for everyone in our community.

In my previous role, I cofounded and managed a nonprofit makerspace, and I’m eager to bring my experience in community building and organizational leadership to Sharing Wheels.* I’m particularly excited about the opportunity to help Sharing Wheels grow its budget and programs, and to find a new location in Everett that will allow us to serve even more folks in need. 

I’m confident that with the support of our dedicated staff, volunteers, and community partners, we can continue to grow our community and increase our impact in the region!

I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you. I am planning to spend time helping in the shop each week. Feel free to stop in and say hello, or email me at andygordon@sharingwheels.org if you’d like to schedule a particular meetup. Until then, let’s keep working together to make a positive impact in our community!

-Andy

*EDITORS NOTE: The board hiring committee was also excited about Andy’s experience addressing training, safety and on-boarding processes in a shop environment with tools and volunteers. And he agreed to go by his nickname “Andy” since we already have one Andrew working for Sharing Wheels. – KK

Categories
Board News Volunteers

Board wants help with big goals

By Kristin Kinnamon, board member

The Sharing Wheels Board spent the last six months of 2023 in a strategic planning process facilitated by the Community Foundation of Snohomish County.

Board members found it fairly easy to agree on our updated vision (for the world we’d like to help create) and our top 3 goals for the coming few years (see below). What will be harder is implementing our strategies and tactics to reach those goals.

We welcome volunteers and supporters to be part of our efforts. You might join a committee, give input at a stakeholder meeting, or share your professional expertise or community connections.

Your first chance to be involved is at our Annual Meeting, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at the shop. Please RSVP if you are able to attend.

You can also email Executive Director Christy Cowley or talk to Shop Manager Ed Roos in person at the shop.


Vision: A Snohomish County where anyone can ride, fix and recycle a bikeSharing Wheels Community Bike Shop

Goal 1 : Establish a Sharing Wheels location that meets the needs of staff, volunteers, customers and stakeholders

Strategy: Define what we need in a location with input from staff, volunteers, customers and stakeholders

Goal 2: A bike shop staffed with enthusiastic and highly skilled employees and volunteers

Strategy: Nurture and train current employees and volunteers

Goal 3: A trusted bike shop that provides reliable bikes, parts & accessories along with friendly expertise

Strategy: Process bikes and other donations in a timely and cost-effective manner

Categories
Board News Volunteers

Vision and goals for 2025 and beyond

Sharing Wheels Board of Directors

Vision: A Snohomish County where anyone can ride, fix and recycle a bike

Mission: Keeping people and bikes moving.

Sharing Wheels Community Bike Shop

Goal 1 : Establish a Sharing Wheels location that meets the needs of staff, volunteers, customers and stakeholders

Strategy: Define what we need in a location with input from staff, volunteers, customers and stakeholders

Goal 2: A bike shop staffed with enthusiastic and highly skilled employees and volunteers

Strategy: Nurture and train current employees and volunteers

Goal 3: A trusted bike shop that provides reliable bikes, parts & accessories along with friendly expertise

Strategy: Process bikes and other donations in a timely and cost-effective manner


The Sharing Wheels Board spent the last six months of 2023 in a strategic planning process facilitated by the Community Foundation of Snohomish County.

Board members found it fairly easy to agree on our updated vision (for the world we’d like to help create) and our top 3 goals for the coming few years. What will be harder is implementing our strategies and tactics to reach those goals.

We welcome volunteers and supporters to be part of our efforts. You might join a committee, give input at a stakeholder meeting, or share your professional expertise or community connections.

Your first chance to be involved is at our Annual Meeting in January. Date and place TBD