April 15, 2021

The Miracle Riders will travel all 50 states Sept. 3-24 to raise money for the Columbus State University (CSU) pediatric nursing program. Scott Ressmeyer, co-owner of Country’s Barbecue and founder of The Miracle Ride, made the announcement today at CSU. 

He also announced a fundraising goal of $1 million over time to benefit the program. The Riders announced last November that, beginning in 2021, their fundraising would support the program, but this is the first public commitment to a specific philanthropic goal. 

“We are excited to ride on behalf of CSU and its nursing program,” Ressmeyer said. “As I mentioned at last November’s announcement, we’ve gotten to know many pediatric nurses over our more than 10 years of fundraising for community services for children. They are amazing people – caring, dedicated professionals who give their all to help our children in their time of greatest need. We know our partnership with CSU to help enhance its nursing program is the perfect next step for us.”

Representatives of the School of Nursing and the Miracle Ride are developing a full plan for the partnership, which will include immediate to long-range goals. The immediate goal is to fund enhancements to the pediatric training lab, including purchasing three new interactive pediatric HAL® simulators and all components to enable lifelike movements, facial expressions and responses. Students can gain practical lab experience in diagnostics and treatment using the lifelike simulators, which resemble actual pediatric patients. 

“We’ve been told our $1 million fundraising goal is aggressive,” Ressmeyer said. “But with such a great cause and the generous spirit of our Riders, how can we miss?The goal may not be met in the first year of the partnership, but 2021 will be a successful year.”

“We are excited to see the next step in this community partnership with the Miracle Riders. It is another example of how the leaders of this community generously contribute to improving the quality of the nursing education we provide our students — and supporting CSU’s efforts to undergird our region’s healthcare infrastructure,,” added Chris Markwood, president of CSU. “This gift will have a tremendous impact on the lives of the children under the care of our future nurses as they provide the best care available because of the generosity of the Miracle Riders.”

The Riders will leave Friday, Sept. 3 from the CSU Main Campus and will return Friday, Sept. 24 to a “welcome home” celebration in Uptown Columbus. Ressmeyer said the pandemic may have forced the cancellation of the 2020 Ride, but it has not dampened the riders enthusiasm to get back on the road.

“We will ride for this cause until we meet the goal,” Ressmeyer said. “We hope to meet it sooner than later, so CSU can advance its plans for the pediatric nursing program. But we have no doubt we will meet the goal.”

About the Miracle Ride

The ride began in 2009 when Scott Ressmeyer set out alone on a ride through the 48 contiguous states to celebrate his 50th birthday and raise funds for the Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical Center in Columbus. An additional 29 motorcyclists joined the ride over the next six years, raising $1.2 million for the hospital’s pediatric services. After meeting their initial goal, the riders broadened their fundraising efforts to include other local services for children. In 2015, they established Scott’s Ride Fund in the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley. They have raised more than $750,000 for the fund. The riders pay all their own expenses on their annual cross-country trips. Collectively, they have spent more than $525,000 of their own money to participate in the rides.