In Charlotte, there is a very special woman doing extraordinary things for children with congenital heart disease.
Julia Engel, a 3 time Boston Marathon finisher, and road cycling badass was born with a VSD and later diagnosed with chronotropic incompetence and heart block. She has been able to enjoy biking and running thanks to 7 pacemakers in 31 years.
4 years ago, Julia founded Bike LUCK, a charity road event in Charlotte, North Carolina to raise money for a 501c3 non-profit, Camp LUCK. This camp provides a week long medically supervised camp for children with heart disease and they have the opportunity to bring 1 sibling along for support. This provides “heart kids”, like Julia once was, opportunities they would not have otherwise. Many of the “heart kids” are home schooled and not able to attend a regular camp with “normal kids.” The camp is held at Camp Cherokee in Kings Mountain, NC. They also provide other support services for children and their families born with congenital heart disease within the surrounding counties.
By spearheading Bike LUCK, Julia was able to bring together her passion for bicycling and the opportunity for heart kids to live life at a special camp for others like Julia with scars on their chest! In the pasts 4 years, through great sponsors and participation of this event, Bike LUCK has raised over $100,000 to support Camp LUCK.
Want to support this amazing camp? Come ride the Bike LUCK charity ride on April 29th in Charlotte!
2017 Bike LUCK Charity Ride Details
When: Saturday, April 29th
Where: Grinnell Water Works • 1435 Bryant St. Charlotte, NC 28208
Distances: 5 miles, Half Metric Century, Full Metric Century
Learn More: Visit Camp LUCK for more information
Register Today: Register on Active.com
North Carolina lawyer and Bike Law founder, Ann Groninger, has advocated at the state level on behalf of bicyclists in North Carolina for over 15 years. Ann has offices in Charlotte and Durham and has helped bike accident clients in Asheville, Raleigh, Durham, Greenville, Wilmington, Fayetteville, and throughout the state. Read more about Ann on her bio page.
