Pay It Forward - Dare 2 Stand Out

The Need

Chris and Kelly Mapes were at their friends’ cabin when they received the news: Chris’s brother Danny, the man who never let his physical limitations stop him from pursuing his dreams, had died unexpectedly at age 36 at his home in Orlando, Fla.

The Fargo couple were in shock. Later their friend – who just happens to be North Dakota native and actor Josh Duhamel – told them he wanted to do something in Danny’s memory. Was there a charitable organization Danny was involved with? Josh asked. There wasn’t. “Let’s set one up,” Josh and his wife, Audra, encouraged the Mapes.

The Impact

Just a few weeks later, the Mapes had started Dare 2 Stand Out – its name based on the slogan Danny wore on a bracelet – to support adaptive sports by providing equipment, coaching and opportunities for people with a disability to participate. Their main project has been the purchase of adaptive golf carts (4 so far) available for use on Fargo Parks District courses. With a swivel seat and chest harness, the vehicles allow people with low mobility to golf without even leaving the cart.

Dare 2 Stand Out is a cause that, Chris says, his brother would have been proud of. Born with spina bifida, Danny loved sports and played them despite physical challenges – eventually inspiring others to do the same.

“When we played golf, he always beat me,” acknowledges Chris. In fact, Danny was the first disabled student to attend and graduate from the Golf Academy of America in Orlando. He became a golf instructor, teaching and coaching both golf and baseball to kids with and without disabilities.

When Dare 2 Stand Out hosted its first-ever fundraiser, the Zebra Open Golf Tournament at Maple River Golf Course near Fargo, Josh and Audra Duhamel surprised the Mapes with a significant donation – pooling with gifts from team members at Bell Bank to raise a $20,000 donation through the company’s Pay It Forward program. Josh, a Bell Champion, had been looking for several years for a charitable cause that really spoke to his heart for paying it forward – and this was it.

“I didn’t ever get a chance to meet Danny,” Josh noted, “but I love these guys very much. I think this charity is so worthy, because so many people who aren’t able to get out and do some of the things that we take for granted can now do that because of these guys and what their brother did.”

Initially speechless at the gift, Chris Mapes said Dare 2 Stand Out was founded as “the best way to honor Danny’s memory and continue the legacy that he had started.”

A year and a half later, with 4 adaptive carts available so far, “We are making a difference in the community for adaptive sports,” Chris said.

The back of each golf cart reads, “Shattering the Limitations of Disability” and includes Danny’s name. That first tournament was held on June 28. Danny’s birthday. “So what a birthday present,” Chris said. “What a great way to celebrate.”

Through the Pay It Forward program, Bell gives employees money each year to donate to people in need and causes they care about.