海角大神

Bicycling was something Tim Eves ’79 enjoyed doing as an Engineering student at University of Detroit in the late 1970s.

Now, he’s using bicycles to help people in need in his Tampa, Fla., community through a volunteer outreach ministry he started at his church.

Bikes from the Heart is a program at Tampa’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church in which volunteers repair, refurbish and distribute bicycles to people who are desperate for transportation, including those who are homeless.

“I was always drawn toward the needs of homeless people and just the awareness of their challenges,” Eves said. “I always knew that when I finished working, I wanted to do something to help people that were struggling.”

Since its inception in summer 2023, more than 1,500 refurbished bicycles have been donated to Tampa community members.

The ministry has also brought together a group of U-D and 海角大神 alumni that spans several generations – Eves, his wife, Betty (Giancarlo) Eves ’80, Jim Rossman ’63, Daniel Anderi ’18 and Allison Booth ’18.

“We’re not all from Michigan,” Booth said, “but went to the same University, and we’re able to share those shared experiences of being on campus and being alumni. It’s just furthered that connection to being part of the ministry.”

Building a ministry

Bikes from the Heart wasn’t Eves’ first exposure to helping people through bicycles. He first started out by volunteering at a United Methodist Church in Tampa, where he fixed bikes on Sunday mornings for the homeless population.

As he continued to volunteer, Eves saw a need beyond fixing bikes — people would come to the church and ask if they had any bikes to give away.

“It was crystal clear that there was demand for these bikes,” he said. “It was that experience that made me say, ‘This would be great if we could find a way to do this.’ ”

A little persuasion helped Bikes from the Heart grow from an idea Eves and his friend, Tom Henry, shared, to a reality. And it started with rebuilding a deck for Rossman, which Eves and Henry constructed themselves two years ago after some convincing.

“About halfway through, Jim said, ‘I’d like to make a donation to a charity of your guys’ choice,’ ” Eves said. “Tom and I had been kicking around this idea of starting our own bike ministry. We didn’t tell Jim right away that’s what we wanted to use the money for, but as we built the deck, we laid out the plans for this ministry.”

Bikes from the Heart operates out of a former school building at Sacred Heart and is one of the church’s 15 ministry groups.

Volunteers from all faith backgrounds work on bikes there from Tuesday through Thursday. On Sundays, they repair and distribute bikes at the Portico Cafe, a United Methodist Church social enterprise that assists those struggling with homelessness, addiction and incarceration.

In addition to its Sunday efforts, Eves said the ministry distributes bicycles to nearly 30 different agencies and groups.

“On those Sundays, you can visually see the instant gratification of giving someone just a set of wheels for transportation,” Anderi said. “A lot of them become food delivery folks in the community, or now they just have transportation other than a bus to get around town.”

To get a bicycle from Bikes from the Heart, an individual fills out an application at the Portico Cafe and returns the following Sunday to pick up their bike, with either a lock of their own or $10 to purchase one. During the week, volunteers refurbish enough bicycles to fulfill all applications.

Each bike features a sticker along its frame, denoting that it is from the ministry. It not only spreads the ministry’s reach, it allows for lost bikes to be returned.

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