PINELLAS PARK – More than 150 riders got on their bikes and rode 11 miles Aug. 28 throughout Pinellas Park in support of the Wounded Warriors Abilities Ranch’s ninth annual Alive Ride.
The race began and ended at Quaker Steak & Lube on 49th Street. Riders received a police escort courtesy of the Pinellas Park Police Department with assistance from the Pinellas Park Fire Department.
Stops included Pinellas Park Fire Station 33, Pinellas Park Elementary, Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School and Pinellas Park High School.
Mike Delancey Jr. began the Wounded Warriors Abilities Ranch in 2015 in Pinellas Park. The nonprofit was inspired by his desire to help other wounded veterans get out and get active in the community.
While on tour in Iraq as a Marine on Sept. 1, 2006, Delancey was shot by an enemy sniper. Delancey became paralyzed from the chest down.
Delancey and his family refused to let this be his defining moment. It would be a launching point to a whole new outlook on life.
The City of Pinellas Park helped Delancey start Wounded Warriors Abilities Ranch with available land in the city. Delancey uses every day to help those who feel lost and forgotten after sacrificing so much for their country.
“I talked to one woman whose husband was in Vietnam and she told me he hadn’t left the house in over 20 years,” Delancey said. “We started this foundation mainly to get veterans out of the house and just doing something. Don’t stare at a wall. Don’t get in your own head. Go out and meet friends and get reintegrated back in the community.”
Delancey and his family believe their foundation is thriving because of the community support from the people in Pinellas Park and the efforts from businesses and the city to help make the Alive Ride a can’t-miss event.
“It means a lot to have people from public works, the city manager, the police and fire departments,” Delancey said. “This area is extremely patriotic and seeing all of us ride by schools and the kids are all chanting ‘USA.’ It’s a cool feeling and the message is you can accomplish a lot when you have great support.”
