Our Milestones
2003
The Inaugural Wear Yellow Ride
2003 marked the very first Wear Yellow Ride, which was started by Mike & Stacey Buckley as a fundraising initiative for the Lance Armstrong Foundation as a part of their Livestrong Challenge event series. The first sponsors were the Trek Store and Nebraska Cancer Specialists. The rest is history!
2009
Wear Yellow Nebraska Becomes Official Nonprofit
We were initially organized as Livestrong Army Omaha (LAO), registered through the Lance Armstrong Foundation, with an underlying 501(c)3 nonprofit Wear Yellow Nebraska. The Wear Yellow Ride was adopted as the signature fundraising event.
Founding Board Members
- Michael Buckley
- Stacey Buckley
- Andrew Hallock
- Kelli Sweet
- Nicole Flatowicz
- Regina English
Other Milestones
- Started the WYNE Nite Event!
- Amanda Troutman joined the Board of Directors
2010
Wear Yellow Nebraska Branches Off
In May 2010, Wear Yellow Nebraska separated from the Lance Armstrong Foundation as our own vision evolved to keep funds raised in Nebraska. All events, fundraising and marketing moving forward was now under the name of Wear Yellow Nebraska.
Other Milestones
- We hosted our first Annual Kick Off event in March, awarding grants in the amount of $4500 from our 2009 fundraising efforts
- First WYNE Nite Fundraiser held that August
- Craig Kelley joined the Board of Directors
2011
The Wear Yellow Ride Moves to Chalco
With 160 riders registered in 2011, it was time to move the Wear Yellow Ride to a bigger space, and that space was the Chalco Hills Recreation Area. We would, however, quickly become too big for our britches and outgrow the route, moving to the Strategic Air and Space Museum just two years later.
2012
American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Pledge
Hope Lodge Nebraska addresses the need for affordable, supportive lodging by providing 24-hour, temporary housing free of charge to cancer patients and their families traveling 50 or more miles to receive treatment. In 2012 we made a $25,000 pledge to support the local Hope Lodge to be paid off in 2016, and surprised them by fulfilling our pledge early at the end of 2015!
Other Milestones
- Added new board member
- Launched the pilot program for the Wear Yellow Cab Ride at Nebraska Cancer Specialists at Bergan Mercy
2013
The Wear Yellow Ride Moves to SAC
In 2013 we moved the Wear Yellow Ride to the Stratetic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska because of our growing force! There were 480 participants.
Other Milestones
- We also added 3 new board members this year!
2014
The Fun Run & Walk Are Added to the Wear Yellow Ride!
In 2014 we made the decision to include a larger variety of athletes by adding a run and walk to the annual cycling event. With 515 participants, it was a huge success!
Other Milestones
- Added 1 new board member
- Started to formalize board roles and our plans to grow the board
2015
Our Best Year Yet!
2015 was a great year for growth. We expanded the Board of Directors, saw our biggest year yet for the Wear Yellow Ride, Fun Run, & Walk with 601 participants, and added a bunch of new features to the event (including the gravel ride, fundraising, and team options to make it even more exciting for participants).
Other Milestones
- Added 4 board members
- Started the process of revisiting and polishing our brand identity and strategy
2016
A New Wear Yellow Nebraska
With all the growth we saw in 2015, it was time to update our brand identity so our marketing communications would reflect our enhanced internal strategies. We partnered with an outside firm to polish our logo, create new marketing materials, craft our brand story, and launch our new website!
We also launched the Cab Ride Program in Lincoln, NE and a food delivery program in Omaha, partnering with Fast Guys Delivery.
2017
Record-Breaking Year
We received our largest sponsorship to date this year for $5,000! We also saw the highest number of cab rides to date, providing over 2,000 rides in just one year.
2018
Program & Event Expansion
2018 was an exciting year as we were able to expand our events with fun rides like the Spooks & Spokes Scavenger Hunt Ride! We were also able to launch Lyft as a transportation provider for the Cab Ride Program.
2019
Our Best Year Yet!
- 756 participants for the Wear Yellow Ride, Run & Walk
- Our best fundraising year yet.
- Partnership with Trek Store Omaha to host the East West Groveler Gravel Race which was a huge success