Sometimes, the unexpected happens. Your life can change 180 degrees, and no one prepares you for it. It was the year 1987 when Rich’s life had an extreme turnaround. The senseless accident caused him spinal injury and permanent paralysis below his chest.
You are about to read a story of Richard Dixon, the man who handcycled a 1500-mile trip along the length of the Mississippi River while raising funds to help rescued kids from human trafficking. And he didn’t stop there!
Following the dream
It’s not easy, but following dreams isn’t about what’s easy. It’s about discovering what’s possible. – Rich Dixon
After the accident, Rich struggled to find meaning and purpose in what seemed to be a broken life. He had to overcome his own resistance and depression to find the right path. In the weeks following his accident, he couldn’t push a wheelchair 10 feet. In 2011, he accomplished his personal dream and handcycled 1500 miles — the entire length of the Mississippi River.
“My injury happened in 1987, and I did not really start handcycling until 12 years later. It was 1999, and I just fell in love with it immediately. I started biking a lot.
You probably realized if you read my story, I am disabled. I am in a wheelchair. One day in 2009, I came home and told my wife I want to do cross country ride on my handcycle. She looked at me as if I have lost my mind. We spent a couple of years sort of Do you really think you want to do this? Do you realize how hard that would be?
Well, in 2011 we did it. I rode my handcycle the entire length of the Mississippi River north-to-south. We started almost at the Canadian border where the Mississippi River begins. I rode 1500 miles to New Orleans. On that ride, we raised money for the children’s nutrition initiative of Convoy of Hope.”
This ride is only the first chapter in a developing story of hope and God’s faithfulness. The story continues so read on!
Freedom Tour is born
Rich and Becking started riding bikes for a simple reason. They really enjoyed it. After the rewarding Rich’s Ride journey along the Mississippi River, they both had the idea to start raising money for organizations.
“We wanted to see if some other people wanted to join us. In 2013, Becky and I went to our church and hang up a sign inviting people to join us on a 500-mile bike ride. Basically, the length of Colorado from North to South. Does anybody want to go with us? We had no idea if anybody would go. We were actually kind of afraid of what would happen if anybody did. We had no idea how to run a bike tour.
At that point, we didn’t have a website. We didn’t have an organization, we had nothing. It was just the two of us hanging up the sign, and 7 people said “Yeah, we will go!” So we said: OK, well, I guess we better figure out how to do this! And then we said: Well if we gonna do this, we ought to have an organization we are supporting, while we are doing it. We want to do it for a cause, so we looked around and asked around. We found Project Rescue, and we have been partnered with them ever since. That was in 2013. We have been partnered with Project Rescue in this one particular home ever since.
On that first 500-mile bike, we raised about $7,000 to support the children at Project Rescue’s HOME OF HOPE. At the end of this year, we will have raised about 340 000. It’s grown a little bit. That first bike ride became an annual event called the FREEDOM TOUR. Now in its 9th year! This unique project has continued to partner with Project Rescue to support that same group of kids.
Our generous supporters have donated more than $285,000 to help these precious children live and grow in the hope that only Jesus can offer. By providing food, housing, counseling, education, and a loving, nurturing, Christ-centered environment, Project Rescue missionaries give these kids the opportunity to overcome their horrific beginnings and work toward emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health.”
How a math teacher turned into a WordPress aficionado
Rich journey to WordPress started after the Mississippi River ride in 2011. Rich and his wife Becky got the idea of doing bike rides to raise money for organizations.
“We were wondering if we can bring other people into it. Since you guys are into the website side of things, you know, I knew nothing about website building. When I did my Mississippi River ride, the lady I knew who was a web designer donated a website for that ride. So I had a website, but I had no idea how it worked. No clue. All I knew there was a website, I clicked on it, and it worked. Then we started to do our own rides. I knew we needed a website, but I knew I couldn’t afford to hire somebody to do it. So I had to learn how to do it. I knew WordPress existed, and that’s all I knew about it.
I was a teacher, and I retired in 2009. My lesson to my students always was if you want to do the stuff, figure out how to do it. So I kinda had to take my own medicine. Instead of just saying I can’t do it, I kinda had to say, OK figure out how to do it! “
So how does Rich’s journey with WordPress look now? He did build the website all by himself and launched it in 2013. Since then, he helped to raise almost $300,000 for the kids at the HOME OF HOPE.
Rich finds a lot of joy in what he is doing. It keeps him motivated. Somehow it must be true when you do a job or work on a project you love, the sense of accomplishment is outstanding. What he did so far with his organization is proof of that!
It’s been a lot of fun to learn. I enjoyed it, and I learned a lot. I launched the freedom tour website in 2013 and this is the 9th year we did a freedom tour. When I look back and think of what the first website was, probably a two-page website, a front-page, and a contact page. I really had no clue what I was doing. And I still don’t know what I am doing, but I am getting better all the time, and that’s what matters. The nice thing is that WordPress is fairly forgiving to amateurs.” 🙂
Rich’s experience with Ninja Forms
It all started as a bootstrap operation. Everything was done manually, but as the organization grew, they needed to automate the registration. Ninja Forms helped to develop a clear user experience in which registration flows smoothly from enrollment through donation.
“As I started learning tiny bits and pieces about WordPress eventually, I knew I needed forms. I hunted around and found Ninja Forms which appeared clearly to me to be the best option. For quite a while, I used free Ninja Forms. Then, it was obvious I needed something better. You know probably like a lot of your customers. That’s the way things work. I used Ninja Forms and learned a lot.
I am sure I am one of those people whose email shows up so often, asking for help, that when they see my name, support goes: “Oh not him again!” 😀 Because I ask so many questions! Your support site is awesome. I spend so much time on your documentation trying to learn stuff.
One of the things I love about using Ninja Forms is that it was very easy to start with, and very easy to grow with. As I needed more complex stuff, it was very easy to grow into.
Your support team has always been available when issues arise. I know I ask a lot of questions that go beyond the scope of what I am supposed to ask, and your support team is always very kind saying: “We are really not supposed to answer this question but you know, we will help you with this.” I always appreciate it. As long as I don’t get too crazy!
The documentation has been excellent and I spent a great deal of time looking at it. Believe me. I bought a couple of new things so I’ll be back there again. But it’s fun! I enjoy doing it, and it’s been one of the joys. Not only doing the bike ride but also learning new stuff on the website.”
What’s next?
Rich shared with us quite exciting plans for the organization for the upcoming months. “We will have our 10th anniversary in 2022, so we are already starting to think about how to make year 10 a big deal!
We are also organizing an epic adventure to fight human trafficking, hoping to raise funds for the children — the Colorado Mountain Tour. All registered to the event will be cycling 4 days over iconic passes around Buena Vista, and the Arkansas River Valey in the majestic Colorado mountains.” The event starts on July 22nd. If you want to find out more details about this tour, make sure you visit their website!
Ninja Forms Team was curious about how many miles Rich handcycled ever since, and the number might blow your mind just like ours did! 😀
“I am kinda a number geek so I have kept a track of my miles ever since I have started handcycling in 1999. I have biked over 40,000 miles since then. I am on my 4th bike. I worn out 3 bikes, sort of moved up as they just got better. So yeah, I still love the bike. I am an old guy now but I still enjoy it and get a lot of pleasure out of it. It keeps me active. It’s a way to stay engaged with a group of people that I really enjoy being around. There are a lot of positive things to it.”
What is Freedom Tour and how can you support them?
There are many ways how you can support this organization. If you live in Colorado and cycling is your passion, you can join one of their cycling events or donate directly on the official Freedom Tour website. You can even become a Freedom Tour fundraiser. How cool is that!
Another option is to become a community sponsor that lets you display your company logo on the cyclists’ jersey. The ride expenses are paid by these generous community sponsors, so all donations go directly to the kids at THE HOME OF HOPE, helping to cover the costs for school tuition, holistic care, nutritional costs, and other necessities.
Rich and his team always welcome any volunteers. So if you want to jump on the board and support a good cause, reach out to them! They will be very grateful as every little help counts.
Thank you
Thank you, Rich, for all the hard work you’ve been doing with your wife Becky all these years. The entire team of Ninja Forms wishes you a lot of happy and safe cycling miles, and a lot of raised funds to give these kids freedom and hope for the better life they deserve.
We are very happy to get to know you a little bit and learn about the incredible organization you created. You are a man of a challenge!
You can find Rich Dixon on Facebook or you can follow his blog. You can also listen to his story, watching the video from TEDx FrontRange where he shares his inspiring journey!
