Running for a Cause

DRC After Hours Sponsor: Shannon Duncan

Fellow Decorah Rotarian, local pastor, and marathon runner Mike Wilker will share his journey of twenty years and 23 marathons at our after-hours meeting. This October, Mike is running the Chicago Marathon to raise funds for the Danny Did Foundation, which works to prevent deaths caused by Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). Mike took up this cause after fellow Decorah neighbor Jennifer Sime's Rotary presentation about her son Brendan. Come hear Mike's story and learn how running, fundraising, and community come together.

Mike moved to Decorah in January 2022 to become the senior pastor of First Lutheran Church. He grew up near Owatonna, MN and graduated from St. Olaf College (1986) and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (1995). He has served bilingual Spanish/English congregations in rural California and suburban New York. He served as the executive director of the Lutheran Volunteer Corps from 2005-2011 and the senior pastor of Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC from 2011-2021. His spouse Judy Kittleson is an English as a Second Language teacher and adult education manager. Their two adult children, Maija and Karl, reside in Minnesota.

The Danny Did Foundation envisions a future where healthcare providers proactively communicate about the risk of SUDEP and other forms of mortality associated with epilepsy. They seek to elevate awareness of, and access to, technologies that enable early intervention and added safety.

For more about the Danny Did Foundation please visit their website at https://www.dannydid.org/.

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