Ridlen joins Skids4Kids fundraising effort

Skids4Kids was founded by Andrew Angeli and is based out of Springfield, Mo. Angeli often held burnout meetups at a local shop. At first, these meetups were just a way to have fun with the rest of his car enthusiast friends. However, they would sometimes draw crowds of a few hundred people. Realizing what he had, Angeli decided to see what these burnout meetups could become. They decided on a name and a goal for their charity and Skid4Kids came into being. Pretty quickly, they had several companies and individuals willing to sponsor the new charity organization. The next step was to find something or someone to fundraise for. At Angeli's local tattoo shop he heard about a young boy named Bennett "Benny." Benny has Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 2, which is an extremely rare bone disease that affects the way that his bones grow and heal. Angeli found out that Benny needed a new wheelchair and with that, he had found a purpose for Skids4Kids. 

Since its inception, Skid4Kids has donated over $92,000 to multiple organizations and hospitals including: Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Niswonger Children's Hospital in Johnson City, Tenn., UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Fla., FosterAdopt Connect in Springfield, Children's Hospital in Kansas City, Kan., Riley's Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, Ind., Johns Hopkins in St. Petersburg, Ind., Peyton Manning Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. and the victims of the tornadoes in Nebraska - among many other donations, toy drives and local charities. Skids4Kids hopes to continue their donation total and reach $100,000 total donations by the end of September. 

Former Imperial resident and current resident of Haxtun, Dave Ridlen joined Skids4Kids as a driver and currently runs a 2001 Chevy 2500 HD called HotWheels. He had help from multiple sponsors including Holley Performance, TCI, Meziere Enterprise, Entropy Radiators, NAPA, G&S Sandblasting, Kurtzer's, Diesel Supply, Freedom Construction, Novus Glass, Haxtun Building Center, SmokeTrails and Dark Horse Custom Speed Shop – among others.

Ridlen has many years of racing experience including demolition derbys, mud truck racing, circle track, rock crawling – among others. He loves to have a flashy vehicle that draws attention and takes HotWheels to car shows, drag races, parades and – when he's not traveling – parks his ride outside of his business for everyone to look at. He estimates that thousands of people see HotWheels. Ridlen tends to focus on and travels to events in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming but does make it to larger events in Missouri, Iowa, Tennessee and Florida. 

Ridlen isn't the only driver with a flashy ride that volunteers for Skids4Kids. Skids4Kids has a large network of drivers that travel to many events. According to Ridlen, some teammates travel very far distances to go to events all over the country. Seth Cavanaugh from Gillette, Wyo., racked up over 30,000 miles pulling his 1969 International Van "Frosty." Cavanaugh is so big in this world that he has been made a part of the video game Burnout Masters. Casey Ladd of Missouri traveled 20 hours to Florida and 20 hours home with his 1981 Camaro "Tire Fire."

The next big event for Skids4Kids and Ridlen is the 2024 Ice Cream Cruise at the I-29 Dragway in Pacific Junction, Iowa, Sept. 27-29. Joining this event will be a fleet of Australian Burnout Cars that have been traveling the country this summer. Racecar driver Garrett Michell "Cleetus McFarland" will also be joining the event along with his Crown Victoria "Neighbor." The hope is that most of the Skids4Kids team will be able to attend the Ice Cream Cruise. Donations from this event will benefit the Omaha Children's Hospital as well as Chariots4Hope and the Heartland Equine Therapy Riding Academy. 

Anyone wishing to help or get involved with Skids4Kids donation can contact Ridlen at (970) 520-3727.