By ARIANA-JASMINE CASTRELLON, The Fayetteville Observer
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Ann Mathis stands in the warehouse of the Bicycle Man Outreach Program. For the past nine years, she has continued the program started by her late husband, Moses Mathis 33 years ago. Now, Ann Mathis is looking for volunteers to help with her final year of handing out bicycles to children in need.
After “Bicycle Man” Moses Mathis’ death in 2013, his wife of nearly 50 years, Ann Mathis, kept her promise to him and continued his legacy. But recently, the 76-year-old Fayetteville woman announced this is the last year for the decades-old program that has given away tens of thousands of bicycles to children in need. And now she’s struggling to find volunteers for the final giveaway.
“We are hoping to be able to give away 1,000 bicycles,” Ann Mathis said recently. “I’ve got my fingers crossed.”
She said that a lot of help is needed for a goal that large.
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“I still need volunteers. I need a lot of volunteers,” she said. “I only have a month before the giveaway, and I have a lot of work to be done.”
Mathis said she has mixed emotions about ending the nonprofit due to her declining health and her age, but she believes this is the best choice for her.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” she said.
Last year, the nonprofit, which has been in operation for 33 years, gave away nearly 2,000 bicycles to children living in Cumberland County.
“I was glad I was able to do it. To me, it means a lot to be able to help the kids,” she said. “It’s a good feeling to see the kids smiling during Christmastime by doing the giveaway.”
Parents interested in their child receiving a bicycle must apply through a social worker at their child’s school and pay a $5 fee to receive a voucher.
Bernadette Bogertey, a social worker for Cumberland County Schools and a volunteer coordinator on the nonprofit’s board, said the program is significant to many families who cannot otherwise afford to purchase a bicycle for their child.
Bogertey said she was one of those families. Bogertey raised her three sons as a single parent. In 1987, Moses Mathis helped Bogertey’s oldest son, Bruce Bogertey, fix his broken bicycle.
“For me, it’s a personal story,” she said. “He helped my son.”
Bruce is now 48 years old.
“That particular son has morphed into this wonderful young man that has a football … program, in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he works with underprivileged children,” she said.
Bogertey, who’s worked for the school district for more than two decades, said she’s sad to see the nonprofit end but supports Mathis’ decision.
”(The program) is going to be missed,” she said.
An impact on the community
Applications have already been sent out to school social workers and the deadline for submission is Dec. 17.
Mathis said she hopes the program has made a positive impact on the community.
“I hope they (recipients) learn to give back to the community,” Mathis said. “To reach out to people that are less fortunate than they are. That was my main goal — was to help the community and to help families.”
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