DOVER, Fla. — Tampa Bay nonprofit Bikes for Christ helps underprivileged kids, military veterans and people in need earn wheels and freedom to find a better life.
A few years ago, after a mission trip to Nicaragua, Pat Simmons had an epiphany.
“It took me 50 years to figure out what to do with my life,” says the Dover man. “The light-bulb went off and I realized I could give the gift of transportation.”
Simmons, an avid cyclist, decided to share his love of bikes with people who needed a boost.
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Underprivileged kids, military veterans, those living with homelessness and other people in need who longed to transition to a better life.
So he started Bikes for Christ.
He and his team fix up donated bikes and deliver them to more than 50 agencies in the Tampa Bay area, including the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Metropolitan Ministries, the Salvation Army and more.
The bikes often provide transportation — to jobs, to school, to the grocery store — for people who otherwise have limited ways to travel.
“We want them to have that self-sustainability that rises them out of the depths of poverty,” says Simmons.
Simmons needs all kinds of bikes, especially those for adult men. To help Bikes for Christ, click here.
