Nonprofits are struggling to raise money this year because of the COVID pandemic, but Wheels on Fire – Cancer Crusaders managed to raise thousands of dollars for three organizations.
Lori Miller, Wheels on Fire team leader, said in 2019 they raised almost $42,000. This year, with most of their events cancelled because of the pandemic, they still managed to raise over $34,000 as of Tuesday, with money still coming in.
“The donations of people are phenomenal,” Miller said.
Tuesday, Wheels on Fire presented checks for $14,000 each to Kosciusko and Fulton Counties Cancer Care Funds and $1,000 to Kim Waggoner for her Project Hope.
Some of Wheel on Fire’s annual events that were cancelled in 2020 included their Smash Out, spring and fall plow days with Echoes of the Past and the Akron garage sale.
Echoes of the Past is one of Wheel on Fire’s biggest supporters. A few lunches and dinners they were able to have this year for Echoes of the Past raised over $8,000.
“A lot of our money comes from memorials, people who have passed and they see what we are doing. Word of mouth and advertising that we get is phenomenal because they see that we’re raising money and not one cent goes to administrative costs,” Miller said.
Every dollar raised by Wheels on Fire that is donated to Kosciusko and Fulton Counties’ Cancer Care Funds goes to the patients. The Care Funds do not charge administration fees, according to Jennifer Stewart, marketing and community manager for K21 Health Foundation, which administers the Cancer Care Fund.
“That’s what’s so touching to me,” Miller said.
Waggoner said Project Hope Cancer Care Packs stemmed from her 2010 diagnosis of Stage 4 lymphoma. “I just really wanted a way to kind of give back, and so I just put together a basket of nutritionals, a journey, a devotional, a Hope mug.”
Normally, she also visits with the newly diagnosed cancer patient who someone nominated for a Care Pack. The kits usually go to Kosciusko County residents. Because of the pandemic, she’s been limited to dropping off the kit and calling the patient.
This is the fifth year Wheels on Fire, a ministry of Beaver Dam United Methodist Church, 9798 W. CR 1000S, Akron, has been out on its own raising money to help people battling cancer. Before 2016, the group participated in American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.
Miller said the Cancer Care Funds are phenomenal. “They’re getting help with rent, medicines, a lot of different forms. Bills they can’t pay. Or gas cards for going back and forth to Fort Wayne and such. It’s just been phenomenal,” she said.
Asked how and why Wheels on Fire has continued to be successful this year with the fundraising, Miller stated, “It’s all God. It’s all I can say.”
Bill Leininger, a member of Wheels on Fire, agreed. “It’s a God thing. And it just shows the community realizes what we’re doing and it’s taken a few years for them to realize how much we care about what we’re doing.”
He said several groups have stepped up.
“We were amazed this year. It just amazes us,” Leininger said.
Miller said they had the Fulton County trap shoot in early September and that brought in $5,000-$6,000.
“That’s a huge fundraiser, too. Don Barker, who is the head of that, lost two wives to cancer and he’s an advocate that is humbled to do it. I about cry every time I think about it, and it’s a lot of work to do that,” she said.
Back in March, Leininger said the group debated amongst if they should take a year off.
“We just decided that if we raise $1, that’s $1 more than we had last year. We were just amazed at how we ended up this year. The tote board kept going higher and higher and we couldn’t believe it,” he said. “And I think a lot of it is, too, now people are starting to realize what Wheels on Fire Cancer Crusaders is all about. I mean, we’re a ministry of the church, yes, but I think we’re more of a ministry of the community. We’re reaching out to a lot of people and we’re letting it be known how they can go get assistance if they need it. And I think a lot of people are supporting us because they know none of this goes to pay anybody. It all goes back to the people who are fighting cancer. That’s our main goal, that’s why we started this five years ago.”
The first year they hoped to raise $1,500. They raised $11,000. Leininger estimates they’ve raised well over $100,000 over the last five years.
It was a brainstorming session on how to raise money that led the group to decide to go out on their own.
“It was just a leap of faith. We’ve just got to pray about it and God will lead us, and, baby, has he led us!” Miller said.
Leininger said 2019 was a phenomenal year but 2020 has been even more phenomenal because of the pandemic.
Donations range from a few dollars to thousands. Blacktop Cruisers out of Rochester supports Wheels on Fire annually with $1,000-$3,000. Leininger said some of the donations are anonymous.
“We do everything through the church primarily for, that’s also our insurance when we go out and do events. Anymore, it’s not just all church people that are in our group. We have people from outside that have joined us,” he said.
The group is about 15-20 people, who donates not only their time but also the supplies and food.
Wheels on Fire is kind of famous for their pie auctions. It’s not unusual for a single pie to go for $100, $200 or even $400.
Their kick-off every year is a Valentine’s luncheon at the church on a Sunday. Church members “really get us started good,” Leininger said. They try not to do anything November through January to rest because it is a lot of work, Miller said.
Wheels on Fire isn’t just the Beaver Dam community, Leininger said. It’s Akron, Warsaw and so many others.
Wheels on Fire’s Facebook page can be found under Wheels on Fire – Cancer Crusaders.
“We’d really like to get some younger people involved,” Leininger said. “We need to look ahead and keep this going because there’s several of us that are my age, 70 or older, and we just don’t move as fast as we used to.”
He said they have some ideas for next year if they’re able to have them.
Even with COVID, people are still battling cancer.
“It’s still happening. They still have their treatments. They still have their bills they have to pay. So that’s why God has truly blessed us with the amount we raised this year,” Miller said.
“Cancer is happening and happening more often. It seems like every week at church here we have somebody else in our community, in our congregation, that’s fighting cancer of some kind. It’s not stopping,” Leininger said.
“We’re blessed. We’re very blessed. Thank God we have the God we’ve got,” he said.
Because of what Wheels on Fire has done, Waggoner said, “My church that I attend has caught on to that and has started to give a monthly donation, as well, toward the (Project Hope) kit.”
Stewart was overwhelmed by how much Wheels on Fire was able to give this year because of the pandemic. “I was shocked today to hear how much they were able to raise and how much they were able to do. It’s just going to be incredible the impact that they’re going to leave on these families.”
