The 2nd Annual Dr. Wrasse Memorial Bike 4 Fitness was held on August 6, 2022, at Switchyard Park in Bloomington. Over 200 people gathered to bike, walk, and raise funds for Riley Children’s Fund of Bloomington in honor of late pediatrician, Dr. John Wrasse.
Dr. Wrasse began practicing at Southern Indiana Pediatrics in Bedford in 2008 and a few years later moved his practice to the new Southern Indiana Pediatrics/Riley IU Health clinic on Arlington Road in Bloomington. Dr. Wrasse touched thousands of lives in the community before he passed suddenly from unknown heart disease in 2021.
Dr. Wrasse was very passionate about bicycling for health and family fun. Dr. Wrasse’s family, friends, and colleagues created the Dr. Wrasse Memorial Bike 4 Fitness to carry out Dr. Wrasse’s long held desire for a community bike ride to benefit Riley Children’s Fund of Bloomington.
The first Bike 4 Fitness was launched just six months after Dr. Wrasse’s death. The 2nd Annual Dr. Wrasse Memorial Bike 4 Fitness was held on what would have been Dr. Wrasse’s 55th birthday. This year’s event was held at Switchyard Park’s outdoor stage and featured musical entertainment by Bridges Musical Arts Youth Organization orchestra, guitarist Steve Sobiech, and singer-songwriter Anna Wrasse.
To promote safety and heart health, Bloomington Riley clinic physicians and staff volunteered to fit children with free helmets, take blood pressure, staff the emergency tent, and share information about the IU Health GOAL (Get On Board Active Living) program.
Bubble machines for the kids and cheerleaders from Bloomington High School North added to the fun and festive atmosphere. Over 150 cyclists and walkers of all ages completed the two-mile loop around Switchyard Park, and close to 30 cyclists finished this year’s new 11 mile loop, led by members of Bloomington Bicycle Club.
In addition to meeting this year’s fundraising goal of $10,000 for Riley, Bike 4 Fitness 2022 also raised nearly $2,000 in donations to Dr. Wrasse’s Memorial Scholarship endowment at the IU School of Medicine. Clinical teaching was another of Dr. Wrasse’s great joys and this scholarship was created to aid students returning to study medicine after some time away from college, as Dr. Wrasse did. Dr. Wrasse was thankful that scholarship dollars allowed him to pursue his dream of practicing medicine. He wanted to pay that forward, but his time was cut short. Through the memorial Bike 4 Fitness and scholarship, Dr. Wrasse’s family, friends and colleagues hope to continue in some small way the work Dr. Wrasse would surely be doing if he were still with us.
The 3rd annual Bike 4 Fitness is scheduled for August 5, 2023, at Switchyard Park in Bloomington and all proceeds will again benefit Riley Children’s Fund of Bloomington. Donations to the John D. Wrasse, MD Memorial Scholarship are gratefully accepted at any time and are tax deductible. Links to the scholarship and Bike 4 Fitness are posted at 4DrWrasse.com.
