The Eppstein Uhen Tennessen Foundation was established in 2007 in honor of EUA’s 100th anniversary and is focused on improving the quality of life in the communities in which we live and work. The proceeds from the annual Beyond Design Bike Tour are divided between the Foundation and its grant recipients.
Thanks to our sponsors and participants, EUA has been able to help fund a variety of organizations in the Milwaukee and Madison areas—organizations that work to improve the quality of life and health for all Wisconsin residents. See current and previous benefactors below:
2022 – Camp One Step by Children's Oncology Services, Inc and Shining Stars Foundation who provide opportunities for children and their families dealing with childhood cancer were beneficiaries of the money raised at the 2022 Beyond Design Bike Tour. The programs allow kids to attend recreational camps and outdoor activities.
2020 – Due to the pandemic, EUA made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Beyond Design Bike Tour. Started in 2005, this would have been our 16th consecutive year, and is an annual tradition that we hold dear to our hearts; but our focus has always been on the safety and well-being of our clients, friends and co-workers who participate in this event, and we believe this is the safest course of action.
2019 – Milwaukee's charity this year was The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (BGCGM). For over 132 years, the BGCGM has been serving children and teen sin the Milwaukee community by providing access to high quality programming and caring adults. Today, BGCGM has grown to be the largest youth-serving agency in the city and one of the largest Boys & Girls Clubs in the country, with over 51 locations serving an average of 5,000 members each day. Proceeds from the 15th annual ride will support STEM programming and educational opportunities for the nearly 50,000 youth BGCGM supports annually.
Madison's charity was Operation Fresh Start (OFS), an organization that provides a path forward for disconnected youth in Dane County, ages 16-24, through education, mentoring and employment training. OFS programs offer youth and young adults’ opportunities to gain meaningful, supported work experience, while completing their high school diploma or industry certifications to continue onto higher education and/or self-sustaining employment.
2018 – Continuing into 2018, two organizations were selected as the BDBT charities. Madison's charity was Food for Thought Initiative (Food4TI), an organization that aims to improve food access and alleviate hunger among Madison area students and their families, in partnership with Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD). Currently operating 3 in-school pantries, Food4TI strives to open one in-school pantry per school year and increase awareness that nutritious food is a necessity to academic success. Through Thea’s Table, a weekend food program, Food4TI has provided over 60,000 meals to the neediest students and their families.
Milwaukee's charity was Feeding America Eastern WI, the leading hunger relief organization in the state with locations in Milwaukee and the Fox Valley. Founded in 1982 by the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is a local and independent member of the Feeding America network. Driven by our mission to solve hunger and our vision of a hunger free Wisconsin, we are bringing more people together around the table to collaboratively address the root causes of hunger. Together with our 600+ member organizations, we serve nearly 400,000 people across 36 counties in eastern Wisconsin each year, including 124,000 children and 41,000 seniors.
2017 – 2017 had two charities chosen. Madison's charity was REAP Food Group, a nonprofit organization building a healthy, just, and sustainable local food system in Southern Wisconsin. REAP's Farm to School program is transforming school food in Madison with the inclusion of fresh, local produce in school meals and engaging classroom lessons for elementary students and hands-on culinary lessons for middle & high school students. These lessons cultivate healthy eating habits, develop cooking skills, expose students to new foods, and provide well-rounded knowledge of the local food system.
Milwaukee's charity was Groundwork Milwaukee, a nonprofit organization that offers elementary and middle school aged youth an opportunity to learn about urban agriculture through experimental based learning. Funds raised will help their Young Farmers program.
2016 – Schools That Can - Milwaukee (STCM) is a nonprofit organization that works to close Wisconsin's achievement gap by fostering more great schools for the children who need them most. STCM supports school leaders with on-the-job coaching, monthly professional development, and leadership training programs. In addition, STCM identifies and develops Wisconsin's home-grown school leadership talent while recruiting high-quality leaders to our city. The event raised over $90,000, presenting STCM with an over $60,000 check.
2015 – The 2015 ride brought in a record number of participants and donations reached nearly $83,000 with proceeds benefiting the Malaika Early Learning Center (Milwaukee) and One City Early Learning (Madison). These charities help children in need develop the cognitive, social and emotional skills needed to be successful in school.
2014 – Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the ride, the Eppstein Uhen Foundation gave back to all previous charity recipients raising over $47,000. 2014 ride charities included: Variety - The Children's Charity of Wisconsin | Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee | Goodman Community Center | Bike Federation | YMCA | Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin | College 4 Kids - UW-Milwaukee | Safe & Sound
2013 – In 2013 we rode for Variety – The Children’s Charity of Wisconsin (Variety) in an effort to help children with disabilities regain mobility, a cause that closely aligns with the Beyond Design Bike Tour event. The event raised $38,000 for the charity.
2012 – Last year the Eppstein Uhen Foundation set aggressive fundraising goals for the Beyond Design Bike Tour, resulting in awarding nearly $40,000 to two nonprofit organizations - the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee and the Goodman Community Center in Madison, giving children in the area additional opportunities through the support of two summer programs.
2011 – The Eppstein Uhen Foundation was able to donate proceeds of $23,207 from the bike ride to the Bike Federation of Wisconsin's Share and Be Aware Program that educates both bikers and drivers about bike safety making the roads safe.
2010 – The Eppstein Uhen Foundation utilized bike ride proceeds of $24,000 for the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign. This donation helped provide thousands of scholarships for YMCA memberships and programs to allow kids to attend camp, families to enjoy the enriching environment of the Y, teens to learn valuable life skills, and seniors to find a place to socialize.
2009 – The Eppstein Uhen Foundation used funds raised by the ride to donate a total of $20,000 to the Backpack Buddies program of Second Harvest of SE Wisconsin. This donation supplied more than 1,000 disadvantaged kids in SE Wisconsin and Madison with backpacks filled with school supplies.
2008 – The Eppstein Uhen Foundation used funds raised by the ride to donate a total of $40,000 to the Movin’ Minds program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the College for Kids program University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
2007 – The Eppstein Uhen Foundation used funds raised by the ride to donate $50,000 to Milwaukee’s Safe and Sound program, which fights crime and violence in low income areas of the city.
2006 – The ride doubled in size and Eppstein Uhen Architects worked with sponsors to raise more than $20,000 for two charities — Atwood Community Center in Madison, and Notre Dame Middle School in Milwaukee.
2005 – In its inaugural year, the ride raised money for WasteCap Wisconsin and the Bike Federation of Wisconsin — making Wisconsin a better place to bike for riders of all ages and abilities.