Restoring Bikes Reviving Hope
A child learning to ride for the first time or professional cyclist covering hundreds of miles and all those between, #everyoneonbikes is the thread that binds them and three families on a mission to improve communities through cycling.
Matt and Stephanie Brown lead the team at Handlebars of Hope a 501(c)(3) currently based in Brownsville, TX, which aims to promote and support cycling locally and globally through partnerships and outreach missions. 
Since 2014 we have given away thousands of bikes to those with transportation needs and children who may never have the means to bike.
Every year we also do countless free repairs, for those less fortunate.
A few global outreaches include:
- a youth cycling club at Casa de Amor orphanage
- teaching bike repair to men in drug and alcohol rehabilitation
- organizing free bicycle repair outreach events
- working to assist current businesses in Mexico
- creating business to help empower those desperately seeking employment
- Team Matamoros, a cycling team focused on build relationships, creating a community and keep youth on the straight and narrow
- and more….
Their mission is supported through local partnerships and events throughout Kansas.
Amy and Tom Hayden are the driving force behind the La Grind 2 Day Gravel Stage Race, a gravel cycling event held annually in Emporia "The Gravel Cycling Capital" with distances and courses designed to encourage beginners and challenge professional cyclists, it is an event designed to build community through cycling. 
All of the proceeds from La Grind Gravel Stage Race go to, Handlebars of Hope.
SAVE THE DATE for the upcoming race MAY 2ND & 3RD 2026, Registration for the event opens November 17th, 2025. New event categories for 2026 are 50+and para divisions!
Tyrel and Lacie Davis, co owners and operators of High Gear in Emporia, are the hands and feet on the ground in Kansas, who accept donations, provide repairs and assist in distributing new and used bikes and equipment to those in need throughout their community on behalf of Handlebars of Hope.
These efforts are only part of who they are and what they do, as owners of a retail business their mission is clear. "We have been serving the Emporia community and our goal has always been to provide big city selection while retaining that unparalleled small town service. We are passionate about bicycles but more passionate about giving back. We truly believe it doesn’t matter how much our business makes but how much it can give."
Handlebars of Hope (locally) has been able to provide bikes to Big Brothers Big Sisters, SOS, Salvation Army, USD 253 and USD 252 school districts, Emporia Men's Shelter, Monique-A-Wish, children, and adults with special needs and those with transportation needs.
