Local children’s healthcare champion Scott Ressmeyer to deliver fall commencement address

December 9, 2024

Scott Ressmeyer, founder of the Columbus-based Ride for Miracles organization and a prominent area business leader, will speak at Columbus State University's three commencement ceremonies on Friday, Dec. 13. He will share a message with graduates on the importance of service and philanthropy.

Ressmeyer, who co-owns Country’s Barbecue, bought his first Harley motorcycle on his 40th birthday. A decade later, to celebrate his 50th birthday in 2009, he did his inaugural solo cross-country motorcycle charity ride. From that 48-state, 21-day ride, the Miracle Riders were born.

“We speak a great deal about servant leaders at Columbus State, and I put Scott Ressmeyer at the top of my list of examples here in the Chattahoochee Valley,” said Columbus State’s president, Dr. Stuart Rayfield. “Through both the Miracle Riders and Country's Barbecue, Scott has demonstrated that business success and community service can go hand in hand. His passion for children’s health causes, his entrepreneurial spirit and his down-to-earth nature are contagious and inspirational. I can’t think of a more ideal role model for our graduates.”

Twenty-six years later, Ressmeyer’s commitment to the community’s children hasn’t wavered. And he’s still riding the same Harley. The group of motorcycle enthusiasts from all walks of life has grown to more than 40, each paying their personal ride expenses. Each ride’s theme takes them across 7,000 to 9,000 miles of U.S. roads for three weeks or more as they raise funds for and share about their charitable causes. Their impact on pediatric healthcare in Columbus has been transformative—with more than $2.5 million raised to date for children’s services.

Initially, the group raised funds to support numerous pediatric health programs at Piedmont Columbus Regional. This included purchasing specialized medical equipment and creating child-friendly spaces within the facility.

In 2020, the Miracle Riders—staying true to their mission—shifted their focus to supporting Columbus State’s pediatric nursing program. The group has since raised more than $600,000 on the university’s behalf toward its $1 million goal. Through its three rides, the Miracle Riders have established a pediatric simulation lab dedicated in 2022, a mother-baby simulation lab in 2024, and a soon-to-be-dedicated neonatal ICU simulation lab.

 

Ressmeyer (middle, holding scissors) with other university and community leaders, cuts the ribbon on the Miracle Riders' third pediatric nursing simulation lab in Frank Brown Hall, in March 2024.

A fourth ride in 2025 will take the Miracle Riders to the nation’s highways and back roads for its “Pony Express Ride.” Similar to the brave men who rode west delivering mail by horseback, the Miracle Riders will mount their iron horses to deliver postcards from Columbus-area residents across America. This ride will continue to raise funds to support the university’s NICU simulation lab.

“The Miracle Riders are changing lives and helping us prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals,” said Dr. Margie Yates, dean of the College of Education & Health Professions. “Their partnership is destined to benefit thousands of pediatric patients and their families that each of our future nurses will serve during their careers. It’s also providing our students with practical, state-of-the-art patient-care experience unmatched by most other universities.”

MORE ABOUT RESSMEYER

A graduate of Hardaway High School, Ressmeyer grew up in Columbus after his family moved to the Fountain City when he was 2. At 14, he began washing dishes for what would become Country’s Barbecue, working his way up to co-owner at 29. Through Country’s and other community roles, he has held numerous positions on civic boards, such as Uptown Columbus, the Columbus Visitors Bureau, and the Columbus, Georgia Sports Council. Always involved in the community, he has helped with the Celebrity Classic, Reindeer Run, Soldier Marathon and Half Marathon, and, of course, the Country’s Midnight Express.

In addition to supporting Columbus State through the Miracle Riders, Ressmeyer has served the university in various volunteer capacities. In honor of that, the CSU Alumni Association granted him and his fellow Miracle Riders Honorary Alumni status in 2021; the association has continued to bestow this status on inaugural riders after subsequent rides.

Gifts to the Miracle Riders efforts are received on their behalf by the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley.

GRADUATION INFORMATION

Various graduation-related events are scheduled for Dec. 12-13, culminating on Friday, Dec. 13, with three commencement ceremonies for all the university’s fall graduates. These begin at 9 a.m. for graduates of the College of the Arts and the Turner College of Business & Technology, 12:30 p.m. for College of Letters & Sciences graduates, and 4 p.m. for College of Education & Health Professions graduates.

For more information about graduation season activities, visit columbusstate.edu/graduation.

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Media contact: Michael Tullier, APR, Executive Director of Strategic Communication + Marketing, 706.507.8729, mtullier@columbusstate.edu