Rough Road for Jack the Bike Man

Jack the Bike Man needs help

Jack the Bike Man's business has a flat.

"It's come close to crippling my little foundation here," says the Bike Man.

A bad economy, tough times, whatever you want to call it, this year Jack needs more help than ever.

"The people that help me in a very generous way have had to cut back, like we all have," he says.

Jack needs bikes, yes.
 
He also needs money to fix up those bikes and parts, and helmets, and well whatever you think a child needs that goes along with a bicycle.
 
Without it, many of Jack's kids wouldn't have much of a Christmas.

"The eyes of a child just sparkle when they see an old rusty repaired bicycle," says Jack.

It's been a difficult year for Jack on all fronts.  In November, he had a heart attack.  Days later though he was back at it, fixing bicycles.  He also can't afford to pay his mortgage, and so his house will be put up for auction.  None of that matters though to Jack.  

This year he's also getting help from two teenagers from Suncoast High School who could teach us all a lesson or two about the true meaning of the holidays.  

Andrew Kohner and Cody Ellsworth started their own group Bikes for Kidz, and collect new bikes for needy children.
 
The old bikes they find all go to Jack.

"We go pick up used bikes from the trash, friends that don't use their bikes anymore, garage sales and throw them in the back of the truck," says Ellsworth.

Jack needs volunteers as well to help pick up bikes from Fort Lauderdale to Vero Beach.

People like Andrew and Cody who will borrow Cody's dad's pick-up truck to drive wherever to pick up bikes.
 
Because these two, at the ripe age of 17, realize the holidays come easy for so many...but when a bicycle means Christmas to a little boy or girl, you've got to ask why more people aren't doing what these kids are doing.

"Just the look on the kids faces, it feels so great to do, to know you're helping a kid that probably wasn't going to get anything," says Kohner.

TO DONATE BICYCLES, CALL JACK AT (561) 863-1569.

TO VOLUNTEER TO FIX BICYCLES, THERE IS A BIKE WORKSHOP THIS SUNDAY AT 10:00AM AT 1140 WATERTOWER ROAD IN LAKE PARK.