Miracle Riders meet $1M fundraising goal; announce 2026 ride dates and continued support for Columbus State

March 3, 2026

Five years and tens of thousands of miles on the road after pledging to create new nursing simulation labs for the School of Nursing, the Miracle Riders announced today that they have reached their $1 million fundraising goal for Columbus State University. However, their dedication to raising funds and awareness for the university’s College of Education & Health Professions continues as they plan their fourth ride to benefit the university, which will depart Columbus on May 1.

Scott Ressmeyer, the founder of the Miracle Ride and co-owner of Country’s Barbecue, announced the news outside the university’s Frank D. Brown Hall on its RiverPark Campus. He also announced that this year’s ride continues last year’s Pony Express theme. Like the historic Old West mail carriers who delivered mail on horseback from 1860 to 1861, the Miracle Riders will mount their steel horses to deliver postcards with personal greetings from family and friends in Columbus to parts throughout the United States.

“So far, we know we will visit 15 states and deliver 23 cards,” Ressmeyer said. “But we are accepting submissions from the public through March 15, so we know the number of states we visit and postcards we deliver will increase.”

During the news conference, Ressmeyer also introduced this year’s riders who will deliver those personal greetings. Ressmeyer and 13 other Miracle Riders will leave Frank D. Brown Hall on Friday, May 1, for a three-week, cross-country motorcycle trip. As they travel across America, the remaining Miracle Riders will make local deliveries. They will regroup on the evening of Friday, May 22, when the cross-country team returns for a celebration and concert on Broadway in Uptown Columbus.

Ressmeyer said the riders were overwhelmed by the impact of the Pony Express last year and expect to have the same meaningful experience this year.

“Last year was really something special—it probably touched my heart more than any other ride we've done. You get to share in someone else's life in another part of the country,” he explained. “We live in a world of texting and emailing. To connect with friends and families, to hand-deliver a written letter, is nothing short of remarkable. Some of the stops were emotional for the guys and for those receiving the postcards.”

Committed to health, nursing education

The Miracle Riders set their $1 million goal in 2021 when they partnered with Columbus State’s School of Nursing to improve classroom education and hands-on learning experiences for the university’s nursing students.

Scott Ressmeyer (right) presents Columbus State President Stuart Rayfield (left) and College of Education & Health Professions Dean Margie Yates (center) with a $1 million ceremonial check representing the Miracle Riders’ fundraising pledge.

“The generous support from corporate sponsors and people throughout the country made it possible for us to meet our goal in just five years,” Ressmeyer said, thanking all the riders and their families, as well as Betsy Covington, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley, which houses the Miracle Ride fund.

During that period, and thanks to the Miracle Riders’ steadfast dedication, Columbus State has created three clinical simulation labs to offer training opportunities for nursing students enrolled in the school’s undergraduate and graduate programs. These include a BSN program, an online RN-BSN program, an online MSN program with tracks for Nurse Educator, Nurse Informaticist or Nurse Leader, and an online FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner) MSN program.

The 2022 ride funded life-like robotic mannequins, technology and other enhancements for a new pediatric simulation lab. Funds raised in 2023 provided similar technology and enhancements for the school’s mother-baby simulation lab. The addition of the neonatal simulation lab following the 2024 and 2025 rides has opened opportunities for practicing nurses, first responders and others who provide direct medical care to infants, children, and expectant mothers to train alongside—and even mentor—CSU nursing students.

Dr. Stuart Rayfield, wearing her honorary Miracle Riders vest, speaks at the March 3 news conference.

“Columbus State University is so fortunate to have the Miracle Riders as partners as we continue to think about how we serve this community, healthcare and in millions of other ways. Their long-term commitment to our School of Nursing has ensured that our academic programs equip tomorrow’s nurses with the hands-on experiences required in today’s most fast-paced, critical-care environments,” said Columbus State President Stuart Rayfield.

“Their commitment has also equipped Columbus State to make meaningful contributions to our region’s quality of life and workforce infrastructure as our nursing graduates put the skills they’ve honed in these labs to use in their careers,” she continued. "The Miracle Riders do more than ride and raise money—they inspire us all with their work and generosity. We are proud to stand with them in their mission.”

As they explore new ways to support the College of Education & Health Professions’ mission, the Miracle Riders remain committed to their mission of “making a difference in one child’s life.”

Dean Margie Yates applauds the Miracle Riders at their March 3 news conference.

“Since their founding, the Miracle Riders have pledged to make a difference in one child’s life—but their efforts have improved opportunities for thousands in the Chattahoochee Valley,” said Dr. Margie Yates, dean of the College of Education & Health Professions. “We thank them for their continuing support of the programs at Columbus State that improve the lives and opportunities of our neighbors. Their hearts know no bounds.”

Daunn Levine (left), Dr. David Levine (at the podium) and Scott Ressmeyer (background) at the Miracle Riders' March 3 news conference.

Columbus neonatologist Dr. David Levine, an honorary rider and namesake of the most recent Miracle Rider-funded simulation lab dedicated to neonatal care, announced on Tuesday that he and his wife are creating the David & Daunn Miracle Ride Scholarship for Columbus State nursing students.

“Just as the riders ride to make a difference in one child's life, we hope this scholarship can make a difference in a student’s life, who can then go on to make a difference in a child’s life,“ Levine said.

Both Ressmeyer and Yates credited Levine with invaluable counsel in envisioning and equipping the neonatal simulation lab, as well as his long-time support of the Miracle Ride.

“David has been behind us since that first ride back in 2009,” Ressmeyer commended, speaking of the inaugural ride that was the genesis of the Ride for Miracles organization. “This generous scholarship will be part of his legacy of service to the children of the region.”

About the Miracle Ride

The ride started in 2009 with Ressmeyer’s solo 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. Over the next six years, 29 more motorcyclists joined the ride, helping to raise $1.2 million for the hospital’s pediatric services.

“Who would have thought back in 2009 that we'd still be here with a bunch of remarkable men riding across the country, raising funds and bringing awareness to our community, the health profession, student nurses and the tiniest of babies,” Ressmeyer (pictured) reflected. “The ride is, and always will be, about making a difference in one child's life.”

After meeting their initial goal, the riders expanded their fundraising efforts to support other local children's services. In 2015, they established the Miracle Ride Fund at the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley and have since raised more than $1.6 million. Since the inaugural ride in 2009, Scott and the riders have raised over $3.2 million for programs benefiting children, including the $1 million raised for the nursing simulation labs at Columbus State that focus on children’s and maternal health.

While individual donors and corporate sponsors support the Miracle Riders’ beneficiaries, all riders cover their own expenses for their annual cross-country rides, averaging $5,000 per trip.

Additional photos from the news conference are available on the university's Flickr account. For more information, to follow the riders on their trip, and to donate to support this year’s ride, visit the Ride for Miracles website or follow the Miracle Riders on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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Main image: Scott Ressmeyer (right) presents Columbus State President Stuart Rayfield (left) and College of Education & Health Professions Dean Margie Yates (center) with a $1 million ceremonial check representing the Miracle Riders’ fundraising pledge.

Media contacts: Columbus State University: Michael Tullier, APR, Executive Director of Strategic Communication + Marketing, 706.507.8729, mtullier@columbusstate.edu; Miracle Riders: Marion Scott, marion.scott120@gmail.com