Tim Rieger
Acts of endurance raise funds for A Kid Again.
Tim CENTERVILLE — Rieger has long been an athlete, but now his feats are for a different purpose: to raise money for outings for children with life-threatening illnesses.
Rieger is on the board of A Kid Again, a Columbus-based nonprofit organization with several chapters and a mission to provide these children with adventures, such as trips to an amusement park, aquarium or baseball game. Many supporters of the group organize the adventures, but Rieger’s strength is fundraising, he said.
The one-time track and cross-country runner at the University of Cincinnati and Centerville High School now turns acts of endurance into ways to raise money for the group.
“Some have been tougher than others, but it’s been a lot of fun,” said Rieger, 44, of Centerville, who is a shareholder and consultant for McGohan Brabender.
Past feats have included running up Pikes Peak and running from Columbus to Cincinnati. This year he bicycled 150 miles at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, raising $26,000 in donations during a campaign in the spring.
Rieger has been on the organization’s board for about 12 years and has raised more than $130,000 to support A Kid
Again. The organization gives children a chance to put their illnesses on hold and provides families the opportunity to connect with others who are going through something similar, said Rieger, whose feats are supported by his wife, Andrea, and children Alexa, 12, and Tim, 10.
Rieger was nominated as a Dayton Daily News Community Gem by his aunt, Kathy Marczynski, also of Centerville. Her nephew dedicates his “heart and soul” and trains eight or nine months to complete his feat, she said. He is committed to helping the children that A Kid Again serves.
“He’s just always been a kid who gives more than he ever expects to receive,” she said.