Cycling Without Age (CWA), an international organization with over 3,000 local chapters, helps people to regain mobility, create stronger communities, and build friendship across generations. Volunteer pilots offer free rides to passengers, typically at senior centers and assisted-living facilities, on a trishaw (a three-wheel electric-assist rickshaw or pedicab). Our most common destinations are public parks, outdoor festivals, or simply an enjoyable ride down “memory lane.” We believe that everyone deserves the right to mobility and “to feel the wind in your hair.” The West Hartford CWA chapter became one of the first three chapters launched in the US in 2015, thanks to the efforts of Lene Bruun, a Danish citizen who resided in our community at that time, and many generous donors.
Support our Local Partnership
The West Hartford chapter of Cycling Without Age, which is sponsored primarily by Bike West Hartford, Inc., partners with AVIVA Senior Living at Hamilton Heights in West Hatford. Volunteer pilots, trained by CWA chapter leader Kevin Sullivan, offer free rides on the trishaw (an electric-assisted three-wheel rickshaw or pedicab) to help people with limited mobility to “feel the wind in their hair.” Bike West Hartford publicizes the program and leads fundraising to pay for insurance and maintenance, a combined cost of nearly $1,000 per year. AVIVA staff, led by Activities Director Maureen Browne-Springer and her colleagues, assist residents with scheduling rides and safely boarding the trishaw, which they also house inside their facility. In addition, CWA pilots can arrange to offer free rides to passengers at other locations and special events by appointment.
- Donate funds to Bike West Hartford, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and designate “Cycling Without Age” to direct your contribution
- Volunteer to be a pilot (one-hour training) or request a trishaw visit to your location or special even, by email to CWA chapter leader Kevin Sullivan
Additional resources:
- Cycling Without Age international organization, based in Copenhagen, Denmark
- CWA West Hartford chapter Facebook page
- CWA West Hartford free online book (2016), created by CCSU Professor Mary Collins and students (30 MB PDF)
- Short YouTube video of CWA West Hartford and Aviva Senior Living partnership