Last Monday, a thief backed up to a trailer and took off.  In that quick action, he not only destroyed a business one man spent his life savings to build, but shattered the goals and inspirations of hundred of children.

There was an annual event called the Ironkids Triathlon, designed just like the IronMan event, but meant for kids. However, in 2014, the main sponsor dropped out of the Des Moines event, and the whole thing was destined to fall apart. That was until Michael Zimmerman stepped up. He'd been working the event for years, and knew what it meant to the kids, and how it inspired them while pushing them to accomplish great things. He knew it had to continue. So he took his life savings and started an event company, Rip Roar Events, to keep it going.  In fact, many area kids participated in the event last July 25 at Cherry Hill Park.

However, to cut overhead costs, he bought a lot of the things he'd need for the events, and kept them in a trailer. That's the very trailer that was stolen December 28.  It was caught on video. However, as of this morning, the crook has not been caught.

As Michael said, the thief was probably stunned when he opened the trailer to find something very different from what they expected.  He remarks that if the trailer was transparent, the thief probably would have not stolen it.

Unfortunately with the trailer gone, the event won't be able to continue. However, we're confident the public will pull through on this one, and keep the event alive. We also hope someone can identify the crook. If you'd like to help Michael out, you can e-mail info@riproarevents.com.  Also, watch the video and share the story so hopefully this crook can be caught.

[VIA KCCI]

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