Bicycles For Veterans

ALL IN 4AHERO Tim Chandler’s Bicycles for Veterans Charity Offers a Way to “Be The Miracle”

By Connie Conway

USMC Veteran Tim Chandler embodies the principle of serving others in need. An adult volunteer at East Milton Elementary School (EME) now for more than five years, he first got involved when his daughter came home one day worrying about a boy in her class whose shoes were worn through, showing his toes. Ultimately it was his response to this situation (he made sure that child had a good pair of shoes at his, Chandler’s, expense) that inspired him to establish his 501 (c) 3 organization, “Be the Miracle.”

Then, when he heard about some homeless Veterans who were without transportation to get to wherever they could find work, Chandler again stepped up. “I started to buy used bikes when I could and give them to Veterans. ‘Bicycles for Vets,’ I called the effort, and people began to donate old or used bikes I could give them. It has become part of my mission.”

The bikes donated often require repairing, though. He would buy the parts, but he needed a good bike mechanic to get the job done. Enter a friend, Veteran MSgt Ben Sandoval, USMC, a fellow member of CPL J. R. Spears Detachment 066 of the Marine Corps League. Prior to his retirement, Sandoval had owned a motorcycle repair shop in Milton, and he agreed to take on the job of repairing whatever bikes Chandler brought him so they could be used.

Sandoval had been the detachment’s paymaster for seven years, a role Chandler volunteered for and was approved to take over when Sandoval felt it was time for a change. “Over the years, Tim also has filled in as our chaplain when needed,” Sandoval said. “He is considered a very integral member of the detachment.”

Sandoval knew Chandler had been giving bicycles to Veterans who needed transportation, that it was typical of his friend to concern himself with those who had served then found themselves down on their luck. “This was another thing Tim wanted to do for them,” he recalled. “So when I heard he had some bikes that needed repairs, I told him I’d do it.” Sandoval recalled.

Sandoval himself served two tours in Vietnam, one in 1965 and another in 1969. He retired from the Marine Corps in November 1985. “When I left the Corps, it was hard for Vietnam Veterans to find employment,” he explained. “So many employers back then did not want to hire you once they found out where you had served. Many of us just hid our time in service and Vietnam from our employment applications.”

He recalled how, at that time, Veterans were getting little or no help from the Veterans Administration or other organizations. “Plenty of those Veterans ended up on the street,” Sandoval recalled. “So many of them became alcoholics or drug addicts, even if they weren’t homeless. And many committed suicide.”

ABOVE: School volunteering often means doing some "coaching" during library time.

It’s clear that this Veteran continues to feel great compassion for those who, like him, fought in Vietnam. “A lot of us suffered from PTSD and had a hard time holding a job down because of anger, hate, and the memories that haunted us of battles past,” he said.

It’s a through line that binds Vietnam Veterans together with those who have served in America’s more recent wars. Which might be why Sandoval added, “Helping Veterans in this way is no brainer for Tim and me. We have lived through our own demons, and we find solace in doing this for our Veterans now.”

It's the charitable donations Chandler receives along with what he can give out of his own pocket that allows him to go on providing these “miracles” in the form of things needed. The bicycles for the Veterans, as well as the Christmas presents and Easter baskets he is able to provide to kids whose families are stretched too thin financially to be able to afford them, mean as much to him as they do to those who receive them. In a way, they may mean more, for they mirror the strength of his faith.

“Having this as my ministry,” he explained, “means using my time to help kids in school (he donates up to 20 hours a week at EME), and it’s why I keep working to raise donations used to provide important everyday items like bikes to individuals whose difficult circumstances have put them in need. To have a way to get to a job can means that a Veteran can improve his or her life enough to go on to greater things.”

Chandler runs his charity through the Living Word of Faith Church on Bush Street. All donations can be written to Bush Street Church Be the Miracle. “We really need people to step up and help,” said this very giving Veteran, “either through contributions or by spreading the word about what we are doing.”

He paused, then added hopefully, “Preferably both?

USMC Veterans (l-r) Tom Whalen and Ben Sandoval. "Tom has a shed where I've repaired motorcycles," says Ben. "And he's happy to let me use it to fix bicyles that Tim donates to Vets."