Before Santa Fe's gated communities, in the days when barrio had a positive, familial connotation, Betty Jean Shinas lived in a part of town called Dog Patch, near Cristo Rey Catholic Church. She had six siblings and her father didn't make much money, so when she wanted to go for a bike ride, she borrowed one from a neighbor.

"All the families shared everything," she said.

Though she was glad to have a bike to ride, she always wanted one of her own. That wish didn't come true until her 25th birthday. By then, Shinas was the mother of two children. Her husband, Tom, fixed up a used bike and painted it blue for her.

Shinas, who just celebrated her 40th wedding anniversary in Hawaii, later became a mountain biker. She took long rides with her husband, who rode competitively until he had knee surgery.

Now, as a social worker for Children's Medical Services, a New Mexico Department of Health program serving poor children with chronic health conditions, her colleagues are calling her "Betty Jean, the bike lady."

Since December, she has paired up used bicycles with children who need a little extra encouragement to get outside and enjoy themselves. As a result, children with diabetes, weight problems and asthma are choosing to exercise more often. They're spending less time watching television or playing video games — and that's exactly what Shinas hoped for.

"To see the reaction of the kids — that's half the fun," she said.

As spring takes hold, word is spreading among CMS families about the free bikes. So far, only six children have received a bicycle, but a dozen more are about to be distributed. The nutritionist helps determine which children are high priority.

Because Shinas serves Spanish-speaking clients, many of the bicycles have gone to children of immigrants in Santa Fe. But as long as The Broken Spoke bike shop continues to revamp donated bicycles for children, CMS social workers and nutritionists will give away bicycles to their clients throughout Northern New Mexico.

This region of Children's Medical Services has clinics in Santa Fe, Taos, Española and Las Vegas, and it covers about 500 children, from birth to age 21 in nine counties, as well as in the Eight Northern Pueblos.

Rosa Martinez's daughter is at high risk for developing diabetes because she is overweight and the disease runs in her family. When nutritionist Kim Schalch talked to her about providing healthier food options at home — more fruits and vegetables, less candy, soda and bread — the idea of a bicycle came up. Martinez knew it was good idea, because 10-year-old Daniela had been asking for one nearly all her life, but it was a luxury the family couldn't afford.

In the evenings, Daniela now rides a pink bicycle as her father walks beside her. She has lost about six pounds, her mother said. "She feels better, and she's more happier."

In January, Daniela wrote a letter to Mike Chapman, the owner of The Broken Spoke (spelling corrected): "Thank you for donating the bike because my dream was to have a bike, and you made that dream come true."

He keeps the letter close at hand in his small shop on Second Street.

Liliana Reza, a 12-year-old with asthma, outgrew her bike two years ago. After school, she watched TV and never went outside, her mother said. But since she began riding a pink and purple bike from CMS, her social life has picked up. Her mother and grandmother giggle as they watch her gather with other children around the apartment complex. The neighborhood kids have named their bikes and ride together.

In March, a teenager named Jonathan wrote a letter to Chapman, in praise of his generosity: "Thank you for repairing a donated bicycle and giving it to me. Well, I hope you keep on doing an awesome job fixing bikes. You made my bike incredible. It looks like a new one. I just wanted to tell you (that) you are an awesome person. That in this world we need people like you. It's like you're a hero to kids."

Chapman, who opened his shop last November, says fixing children's bikes for good causes was something he did when business was slow. He bought a few at garage sales, and Bienvenidos Outreach passed them out at Christmas.

After an article about the effort ran in The New Mexican on Dec. 6, Chapman was swamped with donations, and Willard Chilcott of The Santa Fe Century stepped up to pay for replacement parts and donated helmets. Chapman gave about 20 more bikes to the United Way.

Then Shinas called him. During Christmastime, one of her clients mentioned that his bike had been stolen, and his sister had outgrown her bike. Their mother was having a lot of problems and raising them alone.

"As a child, I never had a bike," Shinas said. "So it touched my soul. No child should be without a bike."

Chapman agreed to help.

Shinas and her husband, Tom, delivered the bicycles, along with helmets, to the 10-year-old boy and his 8-year-old sister at their home. The children jumped up and down with excitement.

"I was looking for an angel out there," Shinas said, "and my angel was Mike."

Now, Chapman collaborates solely with Children's Medical Services, he said.

Donated bicycles continue to trickle in at a steady pace, and thanks to a few volunteers, the project essentially runs itself. Chapman, who is busy selling bikes, competing in bike races and fathering his two young children, watches in amazement.

On Saturdays, Kent Scarborough now repairs all the charity bikes. He volunteered to help after reading about Chapman in the newspaper. The Los Alamos National Laboratory electronics technician rides a recumbent bike he built from chopped up road bikes, using plans from the Internet.

"It's fun to do a little community-service work on stuff I like," Scarborough said. "Every since I was a kid I've been messing around with bicycles."

Sounds like another hero in the making.

For more information, contact Children's Medical Services at 476-2639 or The Broken Spoke at 992-3102.