Salvage Santa – Mike Jones

Traveling to faraway places.  

Escaping to tropical paradises. 

Experiencing adventure.

These are thoughts that go through the minds of many people planning a vacation.

Tightening nuts and bolts. 

Exchanging tires and inner tubes.

Replacing handlebars and spray painting metal work.

These are the thoughts that got Mike Jones excited about taking his vacation last month. He spent his week off rebuilding more than 40 bicycles in his backyard workshop.

Bay County children in need will receive them as Christmas gifts. Jones, aka Salvage Santa, will rebuild and give away at least 200 bicycles this Christmas. It’s a tradition he started 30 years ago while working as a detective for the Panama City Police Department. He’s seen neglect. He’s seen abuse, and he’s seen too many children devastated by violence in their homes. It was bad when he started, but it’s worse today.

“The need is so great now,” he said. Jones stripped down a light blue Schwinn bike to the frame in a matter of minutes. He gave it a new set of handlebars, pedals and tires. He refreshed the bolts and kick stand with a coat of chrome-like spray paint and stood back to look over his work.

“I can’t help but think there’s an 8- or 9-year-old little girl who’s going to have a really nice bike,” he said. That thought brings a smile to his face and a Santa Claus-like twinkle to his eye.

Jones spent 20 years with the Panama City Police Department before retiring. He’s spent the last 16 years in charge of security for Bay District Schools.

He played a huge role in keeping school board members and Superintendent Bill Husfelt safe during a violent attack by Clay Duke in 2010. Duke was upset that his wife had been fired from her teaching job and their benefits had run out. He was angry and blamed the school board for his economic circumstances. As he raised a gun and fired shots at Husfelt and five school board members, Jones shot and wounded Duke, who fell to the floor. Duke took his own life moments later.

Jones struggled over the loss of Duke’s life so much that he did not grant interviews to reporters from major television networks for 24 hours.

He spent the day at his church, Northside Baptist in Panama City, talking with church leaders and asking God if shooting Duke was the right thing to do.

“I told them I had to take care of business with God first and then you,” said Jones, who was already well known for his bicycle repair hobby. The day after the shooting, Schwinn donated 500 brand new bikes plus helmets to his Salvage Santa project.

Jones calls it his ministry to the community and credits local businesses and individuals for helping him make it happen. He spends thousands of dollars each year buying parts, including sets of gear shifts which are $50 a set. He used to worry about where the money would come from until one night he lay in bed worrying and praying about where he would get the $500 he needed to buy new parts for bikes waiting for repair. The next day, he got a call from the Kiwanis Club offering him a check to help him buy parts.

Jones said God has been good to provide for all he needs. “I give Him thanks every day for everything,” Jones said. “I am blessed. And I love Bay County. I love the people here.”

Jones is amazed at the faithful giving of people in the community to his efforts over the years. He said 90 percent of people who donate bikes, money or parts he has never met. Phillip Smith and Dorothy Lumley, for example, have sent Jones checks every year for the last 20 years, but Jones doesn’t know them.

Some he does know, like Earl Durden, who contributed to Jones’ cause until he died.  His son, Mike Durden, has taken over.

Many other individuals and organizations throughout Bay County have been extremely supportive. But Jones does not seek it out, it just comes.

The Bay Building Industries Association held a golf tournament last month to benefit Salvage Santa.

Jones works with Early Education and Care, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Bay County that offers support, care and education for children and families, to help him get the bikes to the children who need them.

There’s never a short supply of bikes to repair. People have been dropping them off when they can no longer use them or their children have outgrown them. Even some adults that received a bike when they were a child are involved with his cause.

“They turn into the givers. They turn around and want to do something for someone else,” said Colleen Jones, who has been married to Mike Jones for 24 years. She immediately joined in on the effort, which used to include toys as well. Colleen was the Barbie doll expert. She would fix dolls and buy new clothes for them.

Jones starts the following year’s bikes on Dec. 26. He spends the month of January cataloging his parts and taking inventory of what he has and what he needs. He works on building bikes throughout the year and even has given a few away to people who do not have vehicles to get to work.

Jones has no plans to retire from building bikes. He does think about the future at times and wonders how many more years he will be able to continue. “People ask me all the time, ‘How long you gonna do this?’ I tell them ‘til I can’t see no more. When I can’t see the parts to fix them and make them safe—that’s when I’ll quit,” he said. Until then, he will keep using his vacation time to build bikes. “That’s what God put us on this earth for, to help others.”

By Patti Smith