FULL CIRCLE
A $6.4 Million Comprehensive Campaign for Bearings Bike Works
A VEHICLE FOR SUCCESS
It all started in Tim and Becky O'Mara's driveway in Adair Park with one little girl and her bicycle.
Officially founded in 2010, Bearings set up their first workshop in the basement of an old automotive shop on the corner of Murphy Avenue and Brookline Street to accommodate the rapidly growing group of neighborhood kids who were eager to earn their own bikes-and learn the skills needed to maintain them.
Since those early days, Bearings Bike Works has evolved into a transformative youth development organization and an integral part of Atlanta's Westside neighborhoods, equipping young people with the skills they need to take ownership of their lives with character and purpose and experience the freedom of economic mobility. Bearings nurtures personal development through mastery of both hard and soft skills by teaching kids how to build and fix bikes and giving them an opportunity to earn a bike of their own.
Over the last 15 years, Bearings has helped thousands of young people learn to invest in themselves, gaining the skills and confidence to build purposeful futures.
Now, Bearings is gearing up for its next chapter of growth: the completion of our Beltline-adjacent campus and expansion of our innovative program offerings will empower more youth to discover their unique capacity to contribute to their communities.
Retail & Repair Shop Opened December 2025
15 YEARS OF IMPACT
1,500 Bikes Earned
45,000 Hours Logged Learning
65 Internships Completed
BUILDING SKILLS, BUILDING CHARACTER
Each program at Bearing's teaches the value of working toward a goal, the importance of skill development, and how to belong to a community:
Skills For Life participants work through progressive, self-paced levels of bike mechanics, earning a bike while mastering new skills. More than 300 students participate in Skills for Life every year.
Cone Crusher Clinics offer tiered pathways for younger riders who are eager to improve their bike handling skills. More than 700 kids will participate in clinics this year.
Youth Mountain Biking allows kids ages 8 to 18 to advance their riding skills in a team environment and participate in a competitive race series offered through the Georgia Cycling Association.
Frameworks Career Accelerator provides paid summer internships and advanced mechanical skill development for young adults. Career coaching, exposure to trade and certification pathways, resume prep support, and job placement help bridge the gap between high school and the workforce. 100% of Frameworks summer internship participants move on to post-secondary education or full-time employment within six months of high school graduation or program completion.
A Good Neighbor
In addition to hosting weekly community suppers on Thursday nights, Bearings joins forces with local organizations to amplify impact:
Programs facilitated in 11 local schools in 2025.
Partnerships with Atlanta Technical College and WorkSource Atlanta open doors of opportunity for youth.
Collaboration with City of Atlanta's Safe Routes to School initiative helps families practice bike safety.
FULL CIRCLE:
EXPANDING ACCESS, VISIBILITY, AND IMPACT
The $6.4 million Full Circle campaign will fulfill Bearings' vision for a comprehensive campus and reinforce the long-term sustainability of the organization, enabling us to serve more than 1,000 youth annually Most importantlv, it will send a powerful message to the kids growing up in the historically underserved neighborhoods surrounding the shop: that they deserve to be a part of our city's prosperous future.
Completed in Spring 2025, the new bridge creates an essential connection between the Westside Beltline and the Bearings campus, leading directly to the doors of the new Shop. The bridge enhances accessibility for riders and pedestrians and provides an additional safe point of access for local kids.
Bridge to the Beltline [$250,000 - Fully Funded]
Retail & Repair Shop
[$1 Million - Fully Funded
The shed structure at the southeast end of the property has been transformed into a fully operational bike shop, designed to function as a public-facing retail and repair space as well as the new primary hub for workforce development and training experiences.
The newly opened Retail & Repair Shop will:
• Double current capacity for Frameworks job training experiences, enabling more young people to develop work habits that will set them up for success in the job market.
• Increase Bearings' visibility in the broader community as a touchpoint for Atlanta bike owners and riders, with room to display up to 100 bikes for sale.
• Contribute to the sustainability of Bearings' programs and spaces through increased revenue from the sale of bikes, parts, gear, and accessories.
Program Capacity Building
[$250,000]
Newly renovated facilities will make space for Bearings to grow our program offerings in response to evolving community needs: from expanded capacity in the Frameworks program, to additional on-site academic support and a new summer reading club, to Brick Club-a weekly STEM enrichment opportunity using Lego challenges to build creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.
To sustain programmatic growth, Bearings must also invest in staff leaders whose guidance and mentorship drives our impact. Capacity buildine funds will enable the addition of two important positions: a Retail Manager to direct daily operations in the new shop, and a Frameworks Support Specialist to address basic needs like housing and transportation as our fellows work toward the freedom of economic mobility.
The Hub: A Center for Cycling & Academic Enrichment [$3.8 Million]
With the creation of The Hub, Bearings is expanding programmatic space to meet the growing need for a wide variety of engagement and support:
Cycling Activation Center: All year long, Bearings helps remove barriers and introduce young people to the joy, independence, and lifelong health benefits of bike riding. The transformed ground floor of the Hub will house the growing fleet of trail worthy' bikes, gear and supplies that enable Bearings to put more than 700 kids on bikes every year.
A covered patio area and garage door at the rear of the space will allow streamlined access for bikes to be loaded on trailers and transported to local trails for skill-building clinics, mountain biking, and more.
Academic Enrichment Space: The Hub's main floor will provide flexible classroom and program space designed to accommodate student support, group learning and collaboration. In recent years, Bearings has moved beyond the bike through increasingly in-demand pilot programs that introduce kids to design thinking principles and STEM concepts. Adaptable spaces in the Hub will also become home to Bearings' financial literacy classes, life skills workshops, and GED preparation, supporting academic enrichment by creating room for quiet, focused work.
Endowment
[$300,000]
To ensure that all buildings and resources on the property remain functional, safe, and welcoming for program participants and the broader community, Bearings is establishing an endowment to provide for maintenance and upkeep costs in the coming years and sustain wide-reaching impact for future generations.
REFRAMING THE FUTURE
When young people are equipped with the skills and confidence they need, our communities thrive. With the continued support of neighbors and friends who share our vision, the Full Circle campaign will enable Bearings Bike Works to extend our transformative programs, welcoming spaces, and proven model for mentorship to more young people who are ready to take ownership of their futures.
Dedric’s Story
When Dedric first came to Bearings, he’d never owned a bike, but the chance to earn one sparked something in him. He dove into the work of patching tires, fixing gears, and changing brakes, discovering how much he loved solving problems with his hands and mind.
“Being in the bike shop, it was so hands-on,” Dedric says. “Learning how to fix things… it led me to be mechanically inclined, and it just carried over.”
Today, Dedric is an HVAC technician, tracing his career path back to the lessons he learned at Bearings. “I was always so ready to get home so I could come to the bike shop,” he remembers. “It was just a great village.
Bridge to the Beltline
$250,000
Retail & Repair Shop
$1,000,000
Program Capacity Building
$250,000
The Hub: A Center for Cycling and Academic Enrichment
$3,800,000
Professional Services, Contingencies, and Soft Costs
$800,000
Endowment
$300,000
Total Campaign Expenses
$6,400,000
CAMPAIGN BUDGET
For more information, please contact:
Becky O’Mara, Co-Founder, Director of Development
becky@bearingsbikeworks.org
(404) 484-4180