Dom Pecora: TIME’s child of the year list

Band when Dominick Pecora was 10 years old, he broke down and repaired his bike several times. He thought it made sense to upgrade to something tougher, so he went to his mom with a big request: “I wanted a really good, expensive mountain bike,” says Dom, now 15.

His mother said no. But she offered to help him raise funds to buy the bike himself. Dom realized he could make money repairing bicycles, a skill he honed by watching videos on YouTube. His mother created a Facebook page – Dom Fixes Bikes – to publicize her services. “We had a sort of pay-what-you-want theme,” Dom recalls.

Eventually, he was able to buy the bike of his dreams. He also had enough money to surprise six other kids with new bikes for Christmas. This was in 2020, during the pandemic. After that, “I just kept doing it,” says Dom.

At first, he worked outside the home. When he needed more space, he rented a one-car garage. “There was no electricity, no air conditioning, no heating,” says Dom. Furthermore, there was no bathroom.

Despite the challenges, Dom persisted. Last September, he celebrated the opening of his first store, in Malvern, Pennsylvania, where he performs tune-ups and repairs and sells new and refurbished bicycles.

During the holidays he gave away 121 bicycles, exceeding his goal of 100 per year. Sponsorships and donations to your nonprofit help support its mission. Recipients of the donated bikes include young people recovering from addiction and people experiencing homelessness.

“From the beginning, I always wanted everyone to be able to ride a bicycle, regardless of their financial capacity”, says Dom. The process, he adds, is simple: “Everyone who requests a bicycle will receive a bicycle”.

That’s how 5-year-old Ilarii, recently arrived from Ukraine, got a bicycle. Shortly after a request from his school, Ilarii was the proud new owner of a stylish black and red BMX bike with training wheels. “It was such a cool thing to [Dom] do”, recalls Matt Coyne, deacon of the parish of Downington, Pennsylvania, who sponsors the boy and his mother.

Sarah Greim was also touched by Dom’s generosity. She is executive director of the Timothy School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, which serves students with autism. “Biking can be a challenge for many of our children,” says Greim. Last fall, Dom contacted the school with an offer to donate bicycles built for cyclists with special needs. “It’s a joy to take a look at the playground and see the students riding their bikes and having fun,” says Greim. “This is all thanks to Dom. He brought this great experience to the lives of our students.”

Pennsylvania State Representative Melissa Shusterman, who represents Dom’s district, also saw the teenager in action. “[He] is a prime example of how young people are ambitious and connected to the social issues of our time,” Shusterman said in an email. “Your generosity and accomplishments are impressive and give me great hope for the future.”

For Dom, the passion project remains pure – and personal. “I love bikes,” says Dom. “For me, my bike represents a lot of freedom.” Cycling, he adds, is “a way to clear my head, and it’s like that for a lot of other people, too.”