Get help now
Call or Text 988
Talk Openly About Mental Health & Take Action
A family’s message after experiencing a mental illness tragedy
By Steve Kutilek
The 5th annual Bike with Mike event is Saturday morning June 7th at Tobey Jack’s in Mineola, Iowa. The event is run by the Kutilek family, and raises awareness and resources for Mental Health, along with celebrating the life of Mike Kutilek – whose mental illness caused him to take his own life in May 2020. Each of the first four years, the event raised more than $200,000 per year and was attended by 350 – 450 people. If the 2025 event follows suit, the event will surpass $1 Million in net proceeds to Community Alliance of Omaha in just five years.
But how and why did Bike With Mike get started? And what message does the Kutilek family want to share with the community?
Following Mike’s death, the Kutilek family was determined to follow through on two things: honor Mike’s memory and try to help reduce the stigma around mental illness by talking openly about Mike’s experience and about available mental health resources in our community.
We tried to think of how we could combine Mike’s love for the outdoors and biking with an event that would attract the community to talk about mental health. One of Mike’s favorite biking adventures was the Thursday night “Taco Ride” from Council Bluffs to Mineola, down the Wabash Trace bike trail. Tobey Jack’s, the restaurant in Mineola that hosts the Taco Rides, agreed to host the same type of event, but on the first Saturday morning of June every year.
Our initial vision was something small with primarily family and friends, but to include a message that it’s important to help break down the stigma around mental illness by talking about it, and that there are resources available at the first sign of a potential problem.
The vast array of mental health services offered by Community Alliance, along with the amazing professionals that are managing their organization, made them a perfect fit to partner with for the message we wanted to send. Although Community Alliance embraced the partnership with our event, raising funds to grow their resources was not an initial priority. But our community quickly recognized the need for this event and the message, and registrations and sponsorships poured in beyond our wildest dreams! The $1 Million in proceeds that have been funneled to Community Alliance from Bike with Mike have helped them increase the number of clients served by 51% over the past two years, while wait time has decreased from 30 days to 4 days!
The growth and impact of Bike with Mike has helped our grieving the past five years since Mike’s passing. But as we approach the upcoming fifth event our message remains the same: It’s OK to not feel OK. Talk openly about mental health and continue to break down the stigma. And at the first sign that someone you know maybe struggling with mental illness, contact Community Alliance, or simply walk in at 72nd & Mercy Road. Community Alliance will meet with you without an appointment the same day. Do not hesitate – mental illness can accelerate and quickly become a crisis.
To register or donate online to Bike with Mike 2025: https://www.bikewithmikeday.com/register-or-donate