About Joy Rides
Spreading Joy One Ride at a Time
We are an all-volunteer nonprofit organization sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church of Dunedin and funded through community donations. We operate piloted tricycle rickshaws (or "trishaws") that have been specially manufactured in the Netherlands to provide a stable and comfortable ride for our passengers. Our fleet includes two trishaws, which can each carry two passengers, and a third rickshaw that carries a passenger in their own wheelchair.
Working cooperatively with local nursing and assisted living facilities, we provide weekly rides for their residents. Our trishaw outings last about 45 minutes and we usually do two rides daily. We also provide weekly rides scheduled through the Hale Center for members of the wider community who could benefit. Our volunteers are out most weekdays providing a variety of safe and interesting excursions on the Pinellas Trail and in downtown neighborhoods. We are happy to provide our riders the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine, fresh air, sea breezes, and coastal scenery of the area, and to engage socially with each other, neighbors, and other trail users.
How It Started
Inspired by such programs as Cycling Without Age and Healing Rides, the idea of offering a trishaw ministry in Dunedin through the First Presbyterian Church (FPC) was conceived in the winter of 2018. The following spring, Joy Rides was officially sanctioned as a ministry of the church by FPC's governing board. This had two significant benefits: First, it permitted Joy Rides to receive tax-deductible donations under the church's 501(c)(3) status; and second, all Joy Rides future activities would covered under the church's existing insurance policy.
With FPC providing the organizational structure for Joy Rides, the funding was to come from the community. During Spring Training of 2020, church volunteers raised $6,000 in parking donations from major league baseball fans attending games at nearby TD Ballpark. Then, with a week of games remaining and the cost of a new trishaw within reach, Major League Baseball shut down the season after the outbreak of COVID pandemic. Fortunately, several private donations closed the gap. The first trishaw, a Van Raam Chat, built in the Netherlands, was purchased from Bike-On in April and delivered in June 2020. A second trishaw was added to the fleet in December 2021.
After waiting out the lockdown and the rollout of vaccines, the first official Joy Ride took place on a brisk Good Friday morning, March 29, 2021. The initial guests were Don, who suffered from advanced dementia, and Robbie, his home care nurse. Bundled up in a parka and blanket against the chill, Don was silent the entire trip. A few days later, his wife Pat reported that his only words about that first trishaw ride was that it was "bumpy," but he was willing to go out again. The following Friday was sunny and warm, and Don brought an extra pillow to sit on. Although still mostly non-verbal, he clearly enjoyed himself, smiling and waving at passers-by on the Pinellas Trail. He made several more rides after that, never sharing more than few words but always a broad smile. Don passed away on May 21st, but will always be remembered for showing us that a trishaw ride can bring joy at every stage of life!
Read more about Joy Rides Dunedin in the July/August 2021 issue of Presbyterians Today magazine.
