{"id":22154,"date":"2025-06-23T12:16:38","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T16:16:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/?p=22154"},"modified":"2025-06-23T12:24:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T16:24:28","slug":"making-a-wheel-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/2025\/06\/23\/making-a-wheel-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Making a Wheel Difference"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SevenBicycling was something Tim Eves \u201979 enjoyed doing as an Engineering student at University of Detroit in the late 1970s.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, he\u2019s using bicycles to help people in need in his Tampa, Fla., community through a volunteer outreach ministry he started at his church.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bikes from the Heart is a program at Tampa\u2019s Sacred Heart Catholic Church in which volunteers repair, refurbish and distribute bicycles to people who are desperate for transportation, including those who are homeless.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was always drawn toward the needs of homeless people and just the awareness of their challenges,\u201d Eves said. \u201cI always knew that when I finished working, I wanted to do something to help people that were struggling.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Since its inception in summer 2023, more than 1,500 refurbished bicycles have been donated to Tampa community members.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ministry has also brought together a group of U-D and University of Detroit Mercy alumni that spans several generations \u2013 Eves, his wife, Betty (Giancarlo) Eves \u201980, Jim Rossman \u201963, Daniel Anderi \u201918 and Allison Booth \u201918.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not all from Michigan,\u201d Booth said, \u201cbut went to the same University, and we\u2019re able to share those shared experiences of being on campus and being alumni. It\u2019s just furthered that connection to being part of the ministry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Building a ministry<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Bikes from the Heart wasn\u2019t Eves\u2019 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

As he continued to volunteer, Eves saw a need beyond fixing bikes \u2014 people would come to the church and ask if they had any bikes to give away.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was crystal clear that there was demand for these bikes,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was that experience that made me say, \u2018This would be great if we could find a way to do this.\u2019 \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"SixA 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAbout halfway through, Jim said, \u2018I\u2019d like to make a donation to a charity of your guys\u2019 choice,\u2019 \u201d Eves said. \u201cTom and I had been kicking around this idea of starting our own bike ministry. We didn\u2019t tell Jim right away that\u2019s what we wanted to use the money for, but as we built the deck, we laid out the plans for this ministry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Bikes from the Heart operates out of a former school building at Sacred Heart and is one of the church\u2019s 15 ministry groups.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to its Sunday efforts, Eves said the ministry distributes bicycles to nearly 30 different agencies and groups.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn those Sundays, you can visually see the instant gratification of giving someone just a set of wheels for transportation,\u201d Anderi said. \u201cA lot of them become food delivery folks in the community, or now they just have transportation other than a bus to get around town.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each bike features a sticker along its frame, denoting that it is from the ministry. It not only spreads the ministry\u2019s reach, it allows for lost bikes to be returned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see some of the people who come on a weekly basis to get their bike fixed,\u201d Booth said. \u201cDan and I will be biking around Tampa on the weekends and we\u2019ll stop and talk to them. There\u2019s that building of relationships, too, with other members of the community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Though Bikes from the Heart has donated 1,500 bikes since 2023, Eves doesn\u2019t see things slowing down. There\u2019s plenty of bikes coming into the ministry, both from the police and regional bus lines, where riders may forget their bike<\/span>.<\/p>\n

He and Rossman estimate that another 1,500 bikes will be distributed over the next year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would say the demand is unlimited,\u201d Eves said. \u201cFortunately for us, the supply of bikes needing to be fixed is also pretty unlimited.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A surprising connection<\/span><\/h4>\n

Five U-D and UDM alumni connecting at a Tampa church was a happenstance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tim and Betty Eves met Rossman shortly after they started attending Sacred Heart about 20 years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWithin the first five minutes, we realized we were both U-D engineering grads,\u201d Eves said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TwoAnderi<\/span> and Booth<\/span>, both UDM Arch<\/span>itecture gradua<\/span>tes,<\/span> came <\/span>into the fold <\/span>much later, when <\/span>they <\/span>began attending Sacred Heart after <\/span>relocating<\/span> for Booth’<\/span>s job.<\/span> The pair knew no one <\/span><\/span>when<\/span><\/span><\/span> they arrived in Tampa and discovered a \u201cnice surprise\u201d in their <\/span>University<\/span> connection by volunteer<\/span>ing<\/span> with Bikes from the Heart.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For a young couple trying to find community in a new area, the ministry made the transition to Tampa easier.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve really taken us on like family,\u201d Anderi said. \u201cWe get together frequently for the bikes, but then also outside of church and volunteering. It\u2019s really been a great friendship and connection to have made.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAllison 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\u2019s been such a great blessing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a great way to feel more rooted in a city,\u201d Booth added.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eves feels that he and the other alumni are living the University\u2019s Jesuit and Mercy mission through Bikes from the Heart.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI do feel like what we\u2019re doing is to the honor and glory of God,\u201d he said. \u201cWe look at our God as a God of love, and we\u2019re sharing that love with each other, but also the recipients of our bikes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really wonderful to meet these people, to build relationships with them and share some of God\u2019s love with them. And in return, they share that love with us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The impact of giving<\/span><\/h4>\n

The mission of Bikes from the Heart is making transportation accessible for all populations \u2014 especially in a humid subtropical climate such as Tampa\u2019s. It also expands the area in which recipients of bikes can travel.<\/span><\/p>\n

“When you\u2019re living in Tampa, and especially in the summertime, when temperatures are in the 90s, it\u2019s just not possible to walk to these different places,\u201d said Rossman. \u201cThey talk about how having that bike has changed their life and gave them mobility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TwoSome bike recipients return to volunteer with Bikes from the Heart.<\/span><\/p>\n

One example Eves recalls is a young man who ended up in jail after a prescription drug problem.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a great auto mechanic before he had had these problems,\u201d Eves said. \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The supply of bikes isn’t limited to adults who need to get around town.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn numerous instances, we\u2019ve loaded up a minivan filled with children\u2019s bikes just to give to a mom to bring home to her kids,\u201d Anderi said. \u201cWe\u2019re not just impacting those who show up on Sunday, but even families who may need bikes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was working, I always thought that \u2018giving back\u2019 was a great saying,\u201d Eves said. \u201cBut some days, I just feel a little bit selfish \u2014 I get such a good feeling from what we\u2019re doing, I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m giving back at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou come across these grateful people and there\u2019s absolutely nothing like it. I think what we\u2019re doing is a good thing. But we get so much out of this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are in the Tampa, Fla., area and want more information about Bikes from the Heart, email bikesfromtheheart@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0By\u00a0Ricky Lindsay<\/a>. Follow Detroit Mercy on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>,\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>. Have a story idea? Let us know by\u00a0submitting your idea<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Through an outreach ministry in Tampa, Fla., several Detroit Mercy alumni have come together to assist community members with transportation in the form of refurbished bicycles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":224,"featured_media":22155,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[6,6438],"tags":[2002,3519,2723,2577,223,4920,4915,103,5528],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/06\/bikes-from-the-heart-1.jpg?fit=770%2C578&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbwnTV-5Lk","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22154"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/224"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22154"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22162,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22154\/revisions\/22162"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/campusconnection\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}