AMBUCS is all about Inspiring Mobility & Independence. Each chapter can choose how best to carry out the mission in their own community.
Skip to: Amtryke, Scholarships for Therapists, Other Community Service
Amtryke Program
The Amtryke Program is the most popular mission-based project among AMBUCS chapters (over 90%) for good reason. It gives chapter members boundless opportunities to serve and to personally witness lives tangibly changed by chapter fundraising efforts. Chapters who take part in the program have found it to be a great vehicle to gain community support and publicity.
Amtryke Year. It can seem really intimidating at first but when you break it down, running your chapter Amtryke program is just a three or four step process: Evaluation Day (which will give you your fundraising goal), Fundraising and Tryke Build/Giveaway Day. Your chapter can cycle through this process as many times as you have capacity for. Maybe just once or twice a year or maybe quarterly. Whatever works for your chapter.
10-for-10 Promotion. Each new AMBUCS chapter is eligible to participate in our 10-for-10 promotion. As you fundraise for and purchase your first trykes as a chapter, the ARC will match each tryke purchased with a free one of equal or lesser value. You do not need to buy all 10 at once and you have up to two years to buy your 10 and get 10 free. Trykes purchased at trailer or evaluation site pricing are not eligible for 10-for-10.
Chapter Wish List. Many chapters are unable to fundraise fast enough to keep up with the local demand for Amtrykes. Don’t panic, that’s totally normal. Most chapters end up keeping their own chapter wish list.
There are several Required Documents that the recipient’s parent/guardian and the recipient’s physical or occupational therapist will need to fill out and return to you. You would enter the information on the forms into your database and then fill the wishes as funding becomes available. The Required Documents are updated frequently so please download a new copy at least every 6 months or so.
We strongly recommend that your chapter collects this paperwork from every recipient as a legal precaution (it includes a liability waiver and an image-use waiver). Please also consult our Improper Sexual Conduct Policy for further risk management tips.
Starting a crowdfunding account may help fund trykes more quickly. Crowdfunding is so effective because it collects small donations from many people and reaches those closest to the rider. (See crowdfunding discussion in Fundraising.)
In many ways, maintaining a reasonably sized wish list is all about maintaining relationships with your evaluating therapists (whether or not they’re members). Feel free to give each evaluator a limit… for instance, “only 3 kids a year, please.” Also don’t be shy to set criteria, like the child must be unable to safely ride a traditional bike and that the parents are involved and likely to help the child ride frequently.
Amtryke Person. Please choose one person in your chapter to place all Amtryke orders. This cuts down on a lot of confusion and duplicated orders, etc. This person may also act as the leader of your chapter’s Amtryke team. (see Key Roles discussion in Membership Development.)
Ordering. You can order both Amtrykes and AMBUCS chapter supplies online at www.amtrykestore.org. If you request a chapter login, you can access chapter pricing and (for both Amtryke and AMBUCS orders) request we invoice your chapter rather than paying immediately with credit card (30-day terms).
Or you can order via email (mariaa@ambucs.org) or phone (800-838-1845 x114).
Please provide Amtryke with your order, name, address, phone, and email address as well as the recipient’s name and the address the tryke should be shipped to.
Existing customers will be asked to verify shipping and billing information to insure proper delivery. When requesting a quote be sure to specify that’s what you want and provide all the same information.
Amtryke/AMBUCS accepts payment via invoice to your chapter (30-day terms), check or credit card: Visa, MasterCard, American Express. Please allow 3 to 5 business days for order processing.
Shipping. We ship FedEx Ground unless you ask us, when placing the order, to send it a different way. We can provide expedited shipping at additional cost.
We also do palletized freight shipping upon request. Shipping freight can potentially save your chapter a lot of money. In order to make it worth it, you must order enough bikes to fill a pallet (about 500 lbs. worth…that’s about 10-12 small bikes or 6-8 large bikes. Sizing Chart lists weight.) and you will really want to have access to a loading dock – there’s about a $150 fee if you don’t. Does one of your members or a friend of the chapter own a business? They might be willing to let you ship to their dock.
Amtryke Evaluation Site. Establishing an Evaluation Site is a great way for chapters to identify deserving children or adults who would benefit from an Amtryke. To make a facility an Evaluation Site, the chapter agrees to continually equip the site with current trykes, accessories and training as well as provide trykes to riders who are evaluated by a therapist at the facility. An on-going relationship must be maintained between the chapter and the evaluation site to guarantee success.
Here is the Evaluation Site Guide with full details.
Your chapter is responsible for keeping the evaluation site’s info up-to-date with the ARC so it is correct on the website.
Evaluation Site pricing is lower than chapter pricing (on trykes and accessories) but there are a few requirements that come along with the reduced pricing. You may only order one model of each tryke for the evaluation site and you cannot reorder that tryke until a new model comes out. Neither the chapter nor the evaluation site may give away trykes you’ve purchased for the evaluation site until they become obsolete. Evaluation site bikes do not count towards 10-for-10.
Amtryke Trailer. Purchasing and maintaining an Amtryke trailer has become an increasingly popular choice among chapters. Occasionally several chapters in the same region agree to split the cost, maintenance and use of a trailer. This trailer full of trykes and adaptations is a perfect tool on wheels. Use at tryke giveaways, fundraisers, community events, and bike days to introduce a community and therapists to the many models of Amtrykes and the mission of AMBUCS.
Trailer pricing is lower than chapter pricing (for trykes and accessories) but there are a few requirements that come along with the reduced pricing. You may only order one model of each tryke for your trailer and you cannot reorder that tryke until a new model comes out. You may not give away trykes you’ve purchased for your trailer until they become obsolete. Trailer bikes do not count towards 10-for-10.
Amtryke Veterans Initiative. Chapters can choose to fund trykes for Veterans who cannot operate a traditional bike. Many chapters reach out to their local VA or other Veterans groups to find recipients who would benefit. AMBUCS believes Veterans should have every opportunity to be engaged in the active lifestyle they had prior to their disability. There are Required Documents designed especially for the Veterans Initiative: one to be filled out by the recipient and two to be filled out by their physical or occupational therapist. We strongly recommend that your chapter collects this paperwork from every recipient as a legal precaution.
Amtryke Grant Help. Chapters are encouraged to utilize the help of the Development Director on staff to identify funding sources for your chapter’s Amtryke project and to help you submit winning grant proposals. Due to the number of people the Director supports, they can give direction, advice and facilitate your efforts but cannot manage the entire process for you.
National Amtryke Wish List. The National Amtryke Wish List ensures that the Amtryke program is truly a nationwide program. Through the Wish List, individuals with limited financial resources who do not live close to a local AMBUCS chapter can still enjoy the fun and freedom of riding their own Amtryke. There are several Required Documents that the recipient or recipient’s parent/guardian and the recipient’s physical or occupational therapist will need to fill out and return to the ARC before rider is placed on the National Wish List. We recommend recipients set up a fundraising page to make the wait time shorter. Donations can then be made by friends, family and other supporters.
Scholarships for Therapists Program
Since 1955, National AMBUCS, Inc. has awarded educational scholarships to therapy students. To date, more than $9 million in scholarships have been awarded to over 16,000 students pursuing degrees in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology and hearing audiology. Please visit the Scholarship Program page for full details. Particularly the Information for Chapters link.
NOTE: All AMBUCS chapters are encouraged to sponsor one (1) student regardless of whether or not your chapter financially supports the program at this time.
Please limit additional chapter sponsorships to no more than three sponsorships for every $500 your chapter donates to the Scholarships for Therapists fund. Please be aware that sponsoring a student is much like a nomination, it makes it likely but not guaranteed the student will receive a scholarship. Sponsored students that do not meet the selection criteria will not be considered.
NOTE: A student is not considered chapter sponsored unless a chapter fills out and returns the Chapter-Sponsored Scholarship form by May 5.
Scholarship Person. We recommend each chapter appoint a person (or a few people) to lead its scholarship efforts. This person should build and maintain relationships with educators at local universities with therapy programs. They should screen student applications and make recommendations to the board for chapter sponsorship. We recommend you request or require volunteer hours with your chapter in order for a student to gain sponsorship. (see Key Roles discussion in Membership Development.)
Timetable:
- January – Begin screening possible student applicants.
- Late-February until May 5 – National AMBUCS accepts online applications for its scholarship program. All supporting documents also due by May 5 for all applicants. Students are instructed to give sponsoring chapter a copy. All chapter sponsorship forms are due May 5.
- Mid-July– The Scholarship Committee will meet at the Resource Center to make award selections.
- Late-July – Final scholarship winners will be announced. Award notices will be emailed to chapters. Certificates available upon request.
Want to sponsor a student but didn’t screen anyone? No problem. Email Janice at scholars@ambucs.org and ask for student leads. We can send you leads from a certain state or school or program.
Other Community Service
AMBUCS chapters are empowered to choose their own form of community service benefiting people who face challenges related to mobility and independence. This can take on an infinite variety of forms. There are two wonderful projects that, while not offered across the nation or supported directly by the ARC, are still frequently chosen by chapters.
Ramp Building. Making homes accessible by building ramps has been a popular activity among chapters. A complete ramp building guide is available.
Adaptive Playgrounds. Building and refurbishing playgrounds that can be used by children regardless of ability.