A special delivery for kids of fallen cyclist

Don’t be alarmed to see a group of Chicago firefighters at Port Washington’s farmers market Saturday.

There isn’t a major conflagration. These firefighters will be seeking donations and selling t-shirts to raise money for their latest mission, one that will take a dozen of them through Port on a bike ride from Chicago to Mackinac Island, Mich., beginning Sept. 18.

And when they stop in Port along the way, they will present the children of the late Nick Grosenick with a donation for their college fund.

Grosenick was an avid Port bicyclist who in 2020 rode his bike from Sheboygan Falls to Door County, raising more than $5,000 to purchase four automatic external defibrillators for the Port Washington Fire Department’s vehicles and raise awareness of the importance of these devices. He said he planned to do a century ride annually to benefit the department.

“I think it’s kind of neat to put the message out there and it’s kind of cool to protect the people who are protecting us in the community,” he said before the ride.

Grosenick, 41, died months later while on a 25-mile bike ride in the Town of Belgium, after he failed to stop for a stop sign and collided with a car.

The donation is being made by Ignite the Spirit, a charity started after 9/11 that helps first responders in need — often those with cancer, Chicago Fire Department Lt. Richard Florczak said, noting cancer is a significant risk for firefighters.

Florczak, who is one of those bike riders, said Grosenick’s story struck a chord with members of his local chapter of Ignite the Spirit.

“They said we’ll definitely do something for him. This is a guy who did a fundraiser, a 115-mile ride, for the fire department,” he said. “He went out of his way to provide for the department.”

Grosenick’s donation is a big one, Florczak said, noting AEDs have saved many people.

“I’ve shocked plenty of people back to life,” he said.

Florczak said he learned of Grosenick’s story from a friend who was with him when he had his accident. As he shared the story, he was encouraged to bring it up to Ignite the Spirit.

The Chicago chapter has been taking lengthy fundraising bike rides more than 10 years, he said, heading from their home base to such communities as Nashville and Boston.

They originally planned to go from Terre Haute, Ind., to Greensboro, N.C., but then determined they would have to deal with an elevation change of 30,000 feet, Florczak said.

The firefighters have been training for their trip to Mackinac Island. They will leave from the fire academy in Chicago on Sept. 18, stop in Milwaukee and then head north the following day. 

While in Port, they will have lunch with their peers and present their donation to Grosenick’s children, Tyler, Colin and Elise before heading to Manitowoc, Florczak said.

They expect to reach Mackinac Island on Sept. 23, he said.