52 | November/December 2018
S
G I V I N G
Giving Bikes and Receiving Smiles ~
Thousands of Them
BY CRISSY NEVILLE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW WONDERLY
S
ometimes a smile is all the reward that's needed for a
job well done. Especially if the job is a labor of love.
at's the philosophy of Ann Mathis, the widow
of Fayetteville's legendary "Bicycle Man," Moses
Mathis, and the current chairperson of the charity that he
founded 29 years ago. Since Moses Mathis's death five years
ago, Ann has lovingly, and fervently, carried on the mission
of his Bicycle Man Outreach Program.
"It's hard, and I miss Moses every day," she said, "but I
am trying my best to keep his dream alive. My satisfaction
comes from seeing the smiles of the children when they get
their bikes. And that is what it is all about – the children."
Over the past three decades, the program has donated
about 38,000 new and refurbished bicycles to needy chil-
dren in the greater Fayetteville area. Most have been given
at the program's signature event, an annual Christmas
giveaway, when pre-approved children get to pick out their
own bicycle with an accompanying parent or guardian.
e program grew out of a single, simple request – Moses
Mathis was asked by a young neighbor for help in repairing
an old bicycle. Moses repaired the bike and decided to do
more to help needy children, by giving them bikes, support
and more. For years, he was the eponymous embodiment of
the program but Ann always had his back, providing quiet
Ann Mathis carries on the mission of the Bicycle Man Outreach Program.
