The Dare To Be Project is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded by U.S. Olympic cyclist Amber Neben. It aims to impact the lives of financially and physically challenged youth in need through an unconditional gift and an inspirational message — to DARE TO BE a doctor, a teacher, the President . . . whatever it is they dream to be.
A Moment of Inspiration
When Amber was a 4 year old, she came down with a very serious case of spinal meningitis. She spent 3 days in a coma and two weeks in CHOC, (Children’s Hospital of Orange County.) The doctors first told her parents that she would die, and then said that if she survived, she would be brain damaged and deaf. She survived without any residual issues. Of this time in the hospital, she had one memory of a very specific day when a professional baseball player with the California Angels came to visit her, encourage her, take a picture and leave her with a Snoopy watch. The watch was not anything special, and it didn’t help her get out of the hospital, but it came with a message of hope and encouragement. She treasured that watch for a long time, and it still makes her smile today. She didn’t get to spend a long time with the baseball player, but in those few moments and with that gift, he left her with a life long memory and a reminder that she could survive.
Amber started The Dare To Be Project out of a passion to make a lasting impact on a child’s life through a gift and a message, just as that baseball player did for her over 30 years ago. She wants to reach out to underserved kids with a bike and a message of encouragement. She wants to inspire them to keep fighting, to get up off the mat again, to work hard or even harder, and to DARE TO BE their dream.
