When Pat Simmons dedicated his life to doing missionary work with his church, he had no idea that another lane would be opened for him to help others with a specific need – transportation.
He is the founder of the non-profit organization Bikes For Christ, which has been operating since 2016.
Its purpose is to collect bicycles, refurbish them if necessary, and give them away to those in need of one.
Prior to starting Bikes For Christ, Simmons was already active in doing charitable work with his church – First Baptist Dover.
In 2015, the church took a mission trip to Nicaragua, where he said he witnessed a lack of resources and poverty at its lowest. That experience compelled Simmons to further his missionary work, and he joined First Baptist Dover in offering services at Amazing Love Ministries, in Ybor City. The church would lend a hand to provide food for the disadvantaged.
The Dover resident enjoyed the connection with those he was serving, so he returned more frequently. And then one day, he came up with an idea on how to use bicycles to further the gospel.
“The lightbulb finally goes off above my head and says, ‘you can help these people with transportation,’’’ recalled Simmons. “So I was finally able to find something that had a purpose to combine my love of cycling with.”
He initially was a runner in high school but couldn’t continue due to a knee injury. However, cycling eventually became the substitute that he learned to have a passion for.
He started using Facebook as a platform to get the word out about Bikes For Christ and posting ads for donations.
Also, he began reaching out to numerous organizations throughout the Tampa Bay area to find those in need of a bike.
Simmons has now partnered with over 60 organizations to help those in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk and Pasco counties.
And it has proven successful, providing bikes of different sizes, colors, and even ones with training wheels.
Along with a bike are lights, a booklet of the gospel of John, a backpack, a helmet and a lock if available.
“Last year our grand total that we put out was over 340,” he noted. “Over a 100 of those went to veterans that were trying to get back on their feet.”
The organization has sought and provided disadvantaged students at Bailey Elementary School with bikes.
And 80 bikes were sent up to Panama City during the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in 2018.
Bikes For Christ has also expanded its outreach internationally to countries such as Liberia, Haiti, and Guatemala.
Not only have they become conveniences for the locals, but for ministers who can now travel at a faster pace when doing missionary work around town.
To get the word out and inspire others to join the cause, the non-profit posts pictures of recipients and their testimonies on social media and its official website.
Simmons explained that last year there was a decrease in the number of bikes being donated due to COVID-19. People were staying home for safety reasons and riding their bikes. And bike shelves at stores were being cleared off for those who didn’t already own one.
“Now you fast-forward over a year later, bikes are finally coming back on the shelves, but still there’s a huge shortage of bikes – especially affordable ones,” he said.
With a gradual uptick in availability, manpower is still needed to operate Bikes For Christ.
A retired principal and a minister are the bike mechanics who help get the bikes into top-notch shape and Simmons has staff who pick up the bikes and drop them off.
One of the drop off locations is the Jarrett-Scott Ford dealership in Plant City.
The charity also operates with board members who help determine how to keep the non-profit working efficiently.
This means continuing to give Bikes For Christ more exposure.
It is present at events like the Dover Rod Run and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office homeless outreach, as well as hosting a non-profit leadership roundtable.
It also partners with the Chamber of Commerce in Plant City, Valrico, Riverview and South Tampa.
Although Bikes For Christ is a non-profit, it still needs funds to continue its work. To do this, the organization has partnered with the Lighthouse Ministries thrift store in Brandon. Some of the bikes are sent there, sold and the funds go toward the charity.
Earlier this year Simmons was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He developed a mass on his right kidney, but fortunately it was removed with surgery.
Despite that, he still has things in store for the organization, saying that, “Gods got a lot more work for me to do.”
Simmons has his eyes on donating to places like Belize and Saint Kitts. He has even had a request for bikes to be sent to India.
Locally he’ll occasionally see someone riding by who is a recipient of the donation, which he says makes him happy.
He explained that the holiday season is typically the busiest time of the year and is ready to provide with open arms.
“My goal is that our bikes enable an individual to go out and find a job, keep that job, be able to go and buy groceries and put food on the table for their families 365 days a year,” said Simmons. “From there, continue that upward trend of bettering themselves.”