We have over 5 dozen dedicated volunteers ready to give rides!
Here are our board members: (Updating in progress as we receive pics and bios from our new Board members)
Nicole Lepping, Founder,
I watched a ‘Healing Rides (Illionois)’ wheelchair bike program video in 2017. I thought of loved ones that would have enjoyed an adaptive bike ride, and I thought of loved ones that still can enjoy adaptive bike rides, and I thought everyone else that would benefit from an adaptive bike program. I was instantly inspired to start a program for Sequim and the surrounding area...the rest is history. Now 6-7 years later, I still absolutely enjoy the Sequim Wheelers; it combines a lot of my passions, like: serving others, meeting wonderful people, and the pure enjoyment of nature and cycling, every ride is invigorating for everyone involved. We are thankful for all wheelers, volunteers, donors, and the Sequim Community, that is wholeheartedly supporting our program. You will see me often on our beautiful Olympic Discovery Trail, or hiking in our wonderful Olympic Mountains, I love where we live!
John Gagan, President,
Tom Coonelly, Secretary - I am an active cyclist and co-founder of the Spoke Folks Cycling Club of Sequim, WA. I am retired (work without pay). The Sequim Wheelers is a unique organization which allows me to share my love of cycling and the outdoors with people who could not otherwise enjoy these things and that is my motivation for participating as pilot, safety and Board member.
Ann Flack, Treasurer,
Bob Fitton, Volunteer Coordinator,
Grant Rollins, Mechanic,
After discovering my family had roots in the Sequim area since 1859, my wife and I volunteered with the US Fish and Wildlife Service as caretakers on the Protection Island Wildlife Refuge. We moved to Sequim permanently in 2016 and then I discovered the Sequim Wheelers. I get great satisfaction from giving rides to those who, for whatever reason, are unable to ride on their own. Seeing the joy on their faces when they are riding along the Discovery Trail, feeling the wind, seeing the sights, and hearing the sounds is an experience that never grows old.
Arnold Bleicher - After a career as a high school and university language educator, I began a second career as an educational consultant. While I still continue to do some of that, the traveling-for-work has ended and semi-retirement has begun.
Having lived in southern Oregon for over 40 years my wife and I began to look for a place to relocate. Towing our trailer around the PNW, we found ourselves in Sequim. After discovering the ODT, and a few days of riding it, the decision was an easy one. While playing pickleball in Carrie Blake Park, I saw another player (John Gagan, our current President) wearing a “Sequim Wheelers” pin. After inquiring about it, I was invited to take a look at what the program was all about. The first time I saw the bikes and the smiles of a few of the older passengers, my heart was moved to memories of taking care of my elderly mother and how she would have loved a ride like that. Every ride I do with the Sequim Wheelers, I imagine my mother as my passenger.