On Coyier Lane, a little elbow grease goes a long way. Almost a year ago, Bikes for Kids Wisconsin, a nonprofit dedicated to giving Wisconsin residents access to bicycles and education about bike maintenance and traffic safety, shed its national affiliation, branching off from Free Bikes 4 Kidz. Executive Director Kristie GoForth will tell you that independence has come with its own challenges, but it has also given the nonprofit room to grow. And grow it has. Bikes for Kids gave away 2,518 bikes this year, smashing its previous record of 2,126 in 2022, for a grand total of 12,609 bikes given away since 2017. “I would say overall (going independent) has been fantastic. I actually haven’t seen any negative consequences of making that move,” GoForth said. “This year we’ve had just an incredible demand for our services, and we’re hopeful that someone’s going to be really awesome to us and gift us a seven-figure gift.”