Support Community Alliance at the fourth annual Bike with Mike fundraiser
The annual Bike with Mike event is coming up soon on Saturday, June 1. Proceeds generated from Bike with Mike are designated to support Community Alliance and our integrated outpatient mental health services.
The event starts at 10 a.m. at the Wabash Trace trailhead with extra parking at Lewis Central Middle School in Council Bluffs. Registration runs from 9-10 a.m. At 10 a.m. bikers begin a 10-mile bike ride (approximately 50 minutes) along the trail to Tobey Jack’s Steak House in Mineola, Iowa. Participants can also walk a part of the trail in Mineola or drive directly to the restaurant by 11 a.m. Following the ride, keynote speaker Sam Eaton will share brief remarks about his experience with suicide prevention. Expect raffle prizes, games and face painting and great food, all in honor of Mike Kutilek and Mae Horgan and in support of Community Alliance’s mental health services.
The Kutilek family founded the event after Mike passed away in May 2020 after manifesting mental illness in his late twenties. Mike was an avid bike rider who loved to go on weekly taco rides with his friends to Tobey Jack’s. This year’s event also honors Mike’s close friend Mae Horgan, who tragically lost her life to mental illness in 2023. The event aims to honor their memory while raising awareness about and funds for local mental health services.
“We looked at Community Alliance, including all the mental health services they bring to the table and everything that organization is doing and thought, this is who we want to partner with,” said Steve Kutilek, Mike’s father who has since joined the Community Alliance board. “If we can help share who Community Alliance is, what they do and how they work, we can potentially save lives and help people before a mental health issue amplifies into something much worse and becomes a crisis.”
Since the inaugural event in 2021, Bike with Mike has contributed more than $600,000 to Community Alliance, supporting our services and decreasing the stigma around seeking help.
“Since Mike has passed, we have noticed that more people are talking about mental health,” Steve said. “People understand that mental health is part of overall health. They’re less ashamed to admit that they’re not feeling okay and to walk into a facility like Community Alliance to address their issues.”
By raising awareness and funds for Community Alliance, Bike with Mike helps us carry out our mission of providing valuable mental health resources to the greater Omaha community. We’re especially grateful for the partnership this year as we move into our new Center for Mental Health, which will expand our capacity so that every individual, wherever they are in their mental health journey, has a path to recovery.
We hope to see you at the fourth annual Bike with Mike event — click here to donate or register by May 31.
If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988.