Airman aims to help others during holiday season

  • Published
  • By Monica Mendoza
  • 21st Space Wing Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) --  It's not unusual for Maj. John Thomas to come home with beat up old bicycles.

In the old, discarded bikes he finds in dumpsters, he sees a few more good years that could benefit some other child or adult, said Major Thomas, the 721st Mission Support Group chief of plans and programs.

He takes the bikes home and cleans and fixes them.

"When I was a kid, I got around on my bike," Major Thomas said. "I think it would stink to be a kid without a bike."

This holiday season, Major Thomas dropped off three bicycles he refurbished at Ted's Bicycles in Colorado Springs, Colo., where hundreds of donated bicycles will be given to children and adults at the 28th annual Bob Telmosse Christmas Giveaway Dec. 20.

Sometimes the bikes he finds are too far gone to be fixed, but he salvages parts and saves them for future finds.

Tony Hoewisch, the owner of Ted's Bicycles, said that with this year's donations of bikes, his shop staff is fixing about 15 bikes a day and will give about 450 bicycles to the Christmas Giveaway.

"We've had a lot of bikes come in these last few days," Mr. Hoewisch said.

Major Thomas brought three ready-to-ride bikes to the shop. He fixed the cranks, greased the chains and did other repair work on the two children's bikes and one adult-size bike.

"They are lubed and greased and ready to go," he said.