100, 200, 300 plus bikes. That is the number of bikes that Bruce Millikan, a member of Sioux Falls Asbury United Methodist church has collected and sent to Tree of Life Ministry Center on the Rosebud Reservation.

Photo: Bruce Millikan (left) pauses for a photo with some folks that picked up bikes for Tree of Life. Photo courtesy of Millikan.

This is the third-year Millikan, members of Sioux Falls Asbury UMC and community members in the greater Sioux Falls area have collected gentle-used, bikes for the adults and youth on the Rosebud reservation.

How it started

It all began when Millikan and his wife went with a team from Sioux Falls Asbury UMC on a week-long mission trip to Tree of Life Ministry, headquartered in Mission, South Dakota. They were waiting to head out to a rural community to work on a house that needed repair when they heard the shop manager say, “We have these bike locks but no bikes.”

In a fleeting moment Millikan said, “Could you use 100 bikes?”  The manager replied, “Can you get them?”

After discussion, thought and prayer Millikan presented the challenge to the folks at Sioux Falls Asbury and on Facebook—100 bikes needed in 10 days.

It happened just like that. Bikes showed up at Sioux Falls Asbury and at Millikan’s house.  Fortunately, a local storage garage agreed to donate the space for the 2-3-week campaign. The 10 days ended, and there were 100 bikes ready for Tree of Life. 

Continuing success

The second-year Millikan put out the call for bikes not only did the members of Sioux Falls Asbury respond but so did the people throughout the Sioux Falls community.

“We also requested 1000 pairs of shoes. We found that Tree of Life needed gentle used or new shoes,” said Millikan. “People responded from everywhere. We got messages from Virginia to Arizona that people were praying for our success.”

Photo: A young recipient from Tree of Life smiles with a bike from the Sioux Falls community in year two. Photo courtesy of Bruce Millikan.

Millikan sites the short time span, the use of social media and the low cost are reasons why the campaign works. “We put out the word on Facebook and other places and do the collection in ten days. We have storage space donated. This keeps the costs low and the momentum high,” describes Millikan.

Another key element of the success is clearly defined parameters. “We do not take bikes that need repair. We just do not have the resources of time and money to store and fix bikes.  We only take bikes that are in good riding condition,” stated Millikan.

The role that Millikan plays is promoter and facilitator. He sets up the dates, the promotion and facilitates the collection.  He also screens the bikes to make sure they are in good, “rideable” condition.

Huge impact

Bikes are needed by all ages—women, men and children.  The bikes have a critical impact for everyone throughout the reservation especially those who live in rural villages.

Photo: Bikes in the storage shed ready to go to Tree of Life. Photo courtesy of Bruce Millikan.

A bike was used by one man, who lived in a rural village outside of Mission, South Dakota.  He came to Tree of Life to borrow a bike, that he hoped to eventually pay for. The man had just got a job. He needed the job so he could fix his car.  A bike was needed so that he could get to work, receive a pay check, fix his car and pay for the bike. He got a bike and two weeks later showed up at Tree of Life with the bike in the trunk of his car, ten dollars to pay for the bike and his car was repaired.

“The recipients of these bikes feel a sense of community and connection,” said Millikan. “When they get a bike, they know that someone in the Sioux Falls area cares about them.”

Millikan has made a commitment to serve on the board for Tree of Life Ministry. He follows Al Herrbolt, from Sioux Falls Asbury, who served on the board for several years. “I am learning that there is so much we can all do to help. If a church or individual in the conference has not been to Tree of Life or even had a chance to learn about it, they need to take that step. It is a great ministry.”

Members of Sioux Falls Asbury continue to journey to Tree of Life each summer. A team of adults will make a trip again this summer. A youth mission trip is also planned for high school students from Asbury.

“They act of planning and doing something is huge,” said Millikan. “So often we discern and nothing gets down. This works and we will continue to do it as long as it works.”