Most people are passionate about something. That thing that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning just so you can do it.  That thing that keeps you going, even when it seems like you are pushing water up a hill. For Skip Wittkofsky, of Skip’s Tire in Leland, that passion is his non-profit organization, “Dare to Care 4 Children.” Originally from New Jersey, Skip came to this area in 1984 to escape the harsh winters of the North.  That was the business side of Skip.   His passionate side always wanted to start an organization that would help chronically ill children.  He started out by going to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington and talking to some of the nurses and medical staff. Skip asked them to contact him if they found a child or a family who needed assistance. Pretty soon, his phone started to ring with requests for insulin pumps, wheelchairs and car seats.

Skip was happy to oblige and became a regular visitor at the hospital. He said, “the kids were in a small, very bland building at that point in time.  The rooms had no decorations or anything that would comfort a child during their stay.” Skip went out and bought over $600 of decorations and things that would brighten up the environment and make the kids smile.” That was over 25 years ago and he’s still spending his time and often, his own money, to give these children what he can to ease their pain or support their treatment.

Skip wanted to start his own charitable organization because he knows that 100% of the donations will go to help sick children. “I don’t trust big charities,” he said. “I could be wrong, but if you are running a charity for kids and have a big, fancy building, TV’s and stuff,  you have to pay for it somehow.  Seems to me that if you are paying for that kind of stuff, you are taking money away from kids who need it.”

Skip carries a large binder with him that has pictures of children he has helped over the years. Along with the pictures are handwritten letters from the kids or their parents thanking him for making the difficult times they are having a little easier.  Skip talked about a child named Brent who was a beautiful, energetic 5-year-old who had to eat through a feeding tube inserted in his stomach. The first time they met, Brent was sitting in bed, drawing all over his arms with a colorful marking pen. As Brent’s condition deteriorated, he was moved to Chapel Hill for treatment.  One day  as he was lying in bed, Brent looked up toward the sky, folded his hands and said, “come on down.”   He died the next day.

He asked, “why does God let criminals and people who do bad things walk around healthy, but he takes the life of a great kid like Brent?”  Maybe God is using Skip to even things out

If you ask Skip how many children he has helped over the years he will tell you he has no idea, but he can recall their names and special things about them, like the twin boys with Cystic Fibrosis. “Did you know that the average life span of a child with Cystic Fibrosis is around 20 years old,” he asked?  “A new medicine came out that can help lengthen that lifespan.  It doesn’t fix the disease, but it kind of stops it where it is,” he said.  That was enough to motivate Skip to call the drug company who made the new drug and soon the boys had free medication for life.

And then, there’s Haiti. A friend of Skip’s went to Haiti on a mission trip to build a church. He came back and told Skip about the conditions there and so many of the things that we take for granted that the children in Haiti didn’t have. That’s all Skip had to hear. The children in Haiti now have a finished church a library and a  mother and her family have moved out of their tent, with no running water or indoor plumbing to a new brick that Skip provided.

When Skip isn’t buying and delivering medical supplies or building libraries, he designs, builds  motorcycles and races cars.  In 2013, Skip decided to do a fundraiser for his charity by painting the names and businesses of people who donated $25.00 on a child’s 1950’s fire truck, pedal car.  He held the raffle  at the Nunnelee Pediatric Specialty Clinic and it was and continues to be a huge success.

For Skip, “Dare to Care For Children” is always top of mind.  He said, “don’t pat me on the back for what I do, give me a check for the kids.  If everyone would just step up when it comes to helping children, there is so much that could be done to make them better, or at least not in as much pain.”  If you would like to be a part of Skip’s “Dare to Care 4 Children” network, go to www.DareToCare4Children.com and let Skip know that he is not alone in his quest to help sick children.

Winner of the raffle at the hospital

Thanks for the new house, Chip

Thank you Skip, we get to read