Cassie Schumacher

 

CEO and Co-Founder of
Wheels 4 Change

 

by Teon Smith, crew 5

 

 

Growing up Cassie watched the struggles that veterans face when they come home from the service.  She wanted to find a way to help veterans when they return home.  Cassie Shumacher is a positive woman who has started an organization called Wheels 4 Change, which cares for veterans who have no one to care for them.         

                                      

When Cassie was younger she would hang out with her dad and his friends a lot.  Her father was a veteran and so were many of his friends.  She saw the ways that they struggled when they came home.  They didn’t really have anyone to care for them or many resources available to them. This inspired her to make an organization called Wheels 4 change, which provides programs and resources for veterans. By doing this Cassie really made a difference.

 

Wheels 4 Change first started in 2010, the same year she bicycled 244 miles non-stop. Doing this she qualified for the toughest bike endurance competition.  She decided to use her participation in this competition to raise awareness for veteran’s issues.  At first it was rough getting a lot of people to help but when people heard about the cause they started helping. Most of the people came from the competition. Cassie says “This is a great opportunity to do something great and not a lot of programs come around often like this.” This shows that Cassie is feeling that we have a need in helping veterans.           

 

Cassie says, “My day is very busy and hectic, but it never gets annoying because I love doing what I do.”  Cassie is the CEO of the company Wheels 4 Change. You can just imagine how busy her day is. But she is very devoted to her job.  She works all day and gets home late. But at the end of the day it’s all worth it.       

 

Cassie has raised 16,000 dollars for 2 years straight to help the veterans. She also gave veterans scholarships in order to help them attend retreats. “I plan to do a lot more in the future,” Cassie says. Cassie has pushed her organization to be very widespread, Cassie says “I have raised awareness across America and educated people in the process about the vast needs of our returning home veterans.” Cassie is not playing around, she really wants to make change.

 

Cassie says, “In the future of the organization I want to have a location where people can hang out. I want to have events happen there that are positive”. She also hopes to impact veteran communities across America. “If I can get a veteran on a bike it is starting the outreach.” In the future Cassie also wants veterans to be able to ride bikes in the future. Cassie feels that bikes are a good use for physical activity and it is great for transportation.

 

Cassie biked 244 miles for veterans. This really shows how well of a person she is. This shows that Cassie is hardworking and very unselfish. Cassie says, “The reason I do what I do is because it helps and cares for others and to me it feels like I am changing the world one step at a time.” She has been doing this for four years and is not looking forward to stop for a long time. Veterans all around the world appreciate and thank Cassie for what she does. Cassie says she is very proud of herself for accomplishing something so huge.