Sanibel-Captiva Rotarian John Danner created the Wheels 4 Wheels fundraiser in honor of his father, Rev. Howard S. Danner, Jr, a Pastor and College Professor, who was struck by a drunk driver while biking and was paralyzed from the waist down, leaving him in a wheelchair for his remaining 17 years.
On John’s 60th birthday, he rode his bike from just north of Fort Lauderdale to Key West, a total of 190 miles as a fundraiser for wheelchairs. He was calling it Wheels for Wheels/60 for 60. His goal was to raise enough money to purchase 60 wheelchairs. He ended up raising an incredible $22,000 by himself, and helped distribute over 200 wheelchairs in Trinidad later that year. The next year, in 2020 pre-COVID, Danner wanted to ride his bike once again as a fundraiser, a cause Rotary contributes to annually, and include Rotarians in the fundraiser. It was named the “Howard S. Danner, Jr. Wheels for Wheels Cycling Challenge”. A generous $26,000 was raised in the first year of this cycling fundraiser. This allowed for the purchase and delivery of over 250 wheelchairs to Barbados and Trinidad.
This year will be the 6th year of this event. Over the past five Wheels for Wheels events, over $132,000 was raised by the riders and their sponsors, which enabled the Wheelchair Foundation to purchase more than 1,400 wheelchairs for distribution to those who cannot afford one. “Our last Wheels for Wheels event resulted in 280 wheelchairs being delivered to Belize. Those of us who were part of the trip and the distribution saw life after life being transformed almost instantly by the mobility made possible by their new wheelchair. We hope to raise $35,000 this year. Personally, I am so grateful for this chance to honor my Dad’s memory. His life was made so much better by his wheelchair, and it is wonderful seeing so many others experience the same.”” said Rotarian John Danner, creator of the Wheels for Wheels Cycling Challenge.
The Wheelchair Foundation is a nonprofit organization leading an international effort to create awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities, to promote the joy of giving, create global friendship, and to deliver a wheelchair to every child, teen, and adult in the world who needs one, but cannot afford one. For those people, the Sanibel Captiva Rotary Club and Wheelchair Foundation delivers hope, mobility and independence to many.
The Sanibel-Captiva Rotary meets at the Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way and also on zoom. Doors open at 7:30 a.m., the meeting begins at 8:00 a.m. For more information about Rotary, please visit sanibelrotary.org. All are welcome!
