People in Fayetteville, North Carolina still talk about “The Bicycle Man.” For more than two decades, Moses Mathis repaired bicycles and gave them to kids in the community, many for Christmas. In its heyday, the charity he and his wife Ann—“The Bicycle Woman”—founded gave away 2500 bikes a year.
He passed away ten years ago. Ann took over and kept the program going with volunteers and donations. She retired last year.
Fears that the program would not continue were allayed when Bernie Bogertey-Harvey took the baton. For years, she has been on the board of The Bicycle Man Foundation. She has, however, another connection: More than thirty years ago, her son received one of the first bikes Moses gave away.
Her grandkids have dubbed her “The Bicycle Medea.” While the program is smaller (It no longer has its warehouse.), she hopes to build it back up. “This year, we’re targeting ages one to seven,” she said.
While it’s too late to register for a bike at this year’s 16 December giveaway, the project is still taking donations.
As one of her grandkids says,”The spirit of the Bicycle Man lives on” in Bernie Bogertey-Harvey.
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