Resident Fundraising for a Better Downtown‘Ordinary people can do extraordinary things,’ says triathlete Mike Willms
Downtown resident Mike Willms is raising money for the Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative as he trains to compete in the IRONMAN Florida triathlon in November.
Willms is a strong supporter of the DWCC and sees similarities in the challenges facing downtown Windsor and the challenges he faces as he gears up for his first ever IRONMAN, a gruelling event involving a 3.8-km swim, a 180-km bike and a 42.2-km run.
“It sounds nearly impossible but ordinary people can do extraordinary things. It may seem like an impossible and daunting task, but with efforts at the grassroots level, we can see the impossible happen.”
Mike Willms
The DWCC has been actively connecting residents and renewing the community through the Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market, the Little Things Matter program, Sport 4 All fitness programs, Community Cafe, neighbourhood clean-ups, community gardens and citizen advocacy.
World class triathlete, Lionel Sanders, a 22-time IRONMAN champion who grew up in Harrow, supports this initiative. Sanders, who is heading to Hawaii for the World Championships, has had his own challenges facing addiction issues. He credits the community for helping him overcome his problems.
“I love this community. They embraced me when I was in my darker days. There are lots of great things in this community; there are lots of great people in this community,” said Sanders. “Since day one, this community has supported me and always been there for me.”
The DWCC is dedicated to making downtown Windsor a great place to grow up and a great place to grow old. The DWCC is a network of neighbours working together for neighbourhood renewal by collaborating with residents, other organizations, businesses and government to help downtown Windsor reach its full potential.
Please consider contributing in support of Mike in his quest to finish his first IRONMAN, while at the same time making downtown Windsor a better place to live.
Community members and students from Dougall Public School will be in attendance to support and cheer on Mike at the pledge drive launch.
To kick off the campaign, Mike and the DWCC will be accepting their first donation from Rhys Trenhaile and his Vanguard Team at Manor Realty as well as Tarik Balbaki from The Warehouse Guys.