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 University of Detroit Mercy 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.
“We’ll see some of the people who come on a weekly basis to get their bike fixed,” Booth said. “Dan and I will be biking around Tampa on the weekends and we’ll stop and talk to them. There’s that building of relationships, too, with other members of the community.”
Though Bikes from the Heart has donated 1,500 bikes since 2023, Eves doesn’t see things slowing down. There’s plenty of bikes coming into the ministry, both from the police and regional bus lines, where riders may forget their bike.
He and Rossman estimate that another 1,500 bikes will be distributed over the next year.
“I would say the demand is unlimited,” Eves said. “Fortunately for us, the supply of bikes needing to be fixed is also pretty unlimited.”
A surprising connection
Five U-D and UDM alumni connecting at a Tampa church was a happenstance.
Tim and Betty Eves met Rossman shortly after they started attending Sacred Heart about 20 years ago.
“Within the first five minutes, we realized we were both U-D engineering grads,” Eves said.
Anderi and Booth, both UDM Architecture graduates, came into the fold much later, when they began attending Sacred Heart after relocating for Booth’s job. The pair knew no one when they arrived in Tampa and discovered a “nice surprise” in their University connection by volunteering with Bikes from the Heart.
For a young couple trying to find community in a new area, the ministry made the transition to Tampa easier.
“They’ve really taken us on like family,” Anderi said. “We get together frequently for the bikes, but then also outside of church and volunteering. It’s really been a great friendship and connection to have made.
“Allison and I got married last September, and as a nice surprise, Tim, Betty and Jim held a little wedding celebration for us with other volunteers. It’s been such a great blessing.”
“It’s been a great way to feel more rooted in a city,” Booth added.
Eves feels that he and the other alumni are living the University’s Jesuit and Mercy mission through Bikes from the Heart.
“I do feel like what we’re doing is to the honor and glory of God,” he said. “We look at our God as a God of love, and we’re sharing that love with each other, but also the recipients of our bikes.
“It’s really wonderful to meet these people, to build relationships with them and share some of God’s love with them. And in return, they share that love with us.”
The impact of giving
The mission of Bikes from the Heart is making transportation accessible for all populations — especially in a humid subtropical climate such as Tampa’s. It also expands the area in which recipients of bikes can travel.
“When you’re living in Tampa, and especially in the summertime, when temperatures are in the 90s, it’s just not possible to walk to these different places,” said Rossman. “They talk about how having that bike has changed their life and gave them mobility.”
Some bike recipients return to volunteer with Bikes from the Heart.
One example Eves recalls is a young man who ended up in jail after a prescription drug problem.
“He was a great auto mechanic before he had had these problems,” Eves said. “He worked with us on Sundays to help fix bikes, so we invited him to the shop. I think spending time with our community of volunteers really helped him make his step back out into the world.”
The supply of bikes isn’t limited to adults who need to get around town.
“On numerous instances, we’ve loaded up a minivan filled with children’s bikes just to give to a mom to bring home to her kids,” Anderi said. “We’re not just impacting those who show up on Sunday, but even families who may need bikes.”
The alumni involved with Bikes from the Heart regularly see the impact a bicycle has on the people who receive them. But they are also impacted by the ministry.
“When I was working, I always thought that ‘giving back’ was a great saying,” Eves said. “But some days, I just feel a little bit selfish — I get such a good feeling from what we’re doing, I don’t feel like I’m giving back at all.
“You come across these grateful people and there’s absolutely nothing like it. I think what we’re doing is a good thing. But we get so much out of this.”
If you are in the Tampa, Fla., area and want more information about Bikes from the Heart, email bikesfromtheheart@gmail.com.
— By Ricky Lindsay. Follow Detroit Mercy on Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Instagram. Have a story idea? Let us know by submitting your idea.