Bill Raine
Did he actually graduate from Loras College? It’s a valid question as his inability to write the English language is legendary. He likes to call his writing style “folksy” which is code around here for “atrocious spelling and grammar”. If you see the ramblings of a mad man on Facebook, blame Bill. Following a 2009 trip to Restoring Hope International, Bill dreamed up this fundraising adventure to help care for the orphans there. Leveraging his vast business skills, he and his wife Jill spent $5,000 of their own money on the first Relay Iowa and were able to give $2,000 to the orphanage. When asked why they didn’t just give the $5,000 directly to the orphanage, Bill said, “You can do that?” Never fear. Bill surrounds himself with brilliant people who are willing to manage the details of his dream.
Maren & Nora Raine
Also known as “The Raine Girls” and “The Sisters”, they seem to like each other in spite of being related. These two have manned checkpoints & moved signs since 2010. Maren went to Restoring Hope to volunteer with the orphans for 3 months in 2014 and can’t wait to return someday. She is all butterflies and rainbows and if you talk to her for 10 minutes, you will be inspired to board a plane for South Africa to help. Nora is a brilliant kid; we would vote her “Most Likely to Solve Hunger or War or Something Big.” You will know Nora by her giant, never-ending smile and her contagious giggle (often at an awkward moment). They both enjoy driving around honking and ringing cowbells.
Scott & Lynn Rhein
Scott and Lynn have been with the relay since the beginning. The Raines wrangled the Rheins (say that 10 times fast!) over to their house with promises of drinks and fun. Little did the Rheins know they would be leaping into a never-been-done adventure to help orphans on the other side of the world. Scott is the guy who keeps our finances straight and manages meticulous spreadsheets to keep the teams running on time. You can spot him driving all over Iowa all three days every Relay Iowa in his famous orange truck. The other half of the dynamic duo, Lynn, takes the lead on basically every piece of the relay from the comfy t-shirts to coordinating checkpoints to keeping us all on task. She seriously has her hands full with that! They are giving people and they are the duct tape holding this entire operation together.
Greg Schrobilgen & Kathleen Sheehan
Greg (The Godfather) Schrobilgen is so named because if you’re from Chicago and want to run Relay Iowa, you have to go through him. Ok, not really, but The Godfather is one of the architects of bringing multiple teams from the Chicago area and it can’t hurt to be in his good graces. Greg and his Born to Run team have been running the relay for 5 years and he just keeps bringing more teams every year. Read his ramblings about how to put together a Relay Iowa team here. Kathleen is a master of the English language and can spell and create complete sentences. We call her in to help us with big words and figure out nouns and verbs. She is also an “athletic supporter”, helping drive runners from the Whippersnappers across the state. They have three awesome kids, Malachy, Erin and Rory, plus Imal, a lovable, crazy guy from Niger, Africa. Although Imal’s story is too long to tell here, cross your fingers that you run into him as he’s running Relay Iowa, which he participates in every year!
Scott Schrobilgen
What else do you need to know about Scott? He is a Colorado mountain man, lover of honeybees, gifted Mr. Fix-It, sunflower grower and all around mellow dude. The baby of the Schrobilgen family, Scott was originally recruited to help move Relay Iowa signs, but now he is all over the course. Scott is the guy you want to find if you have car trouble during Relay Iowa, especially if you happen to be driving a VW van, his favorite hippie vehicle. Everyone loves to feel his hair (it is afro-tastic) so don’t be shy if you see him. He is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and like the rest of the Schrobilgen family is a big hugger.
Dan & Jodi Schrobilgen
These two don’t live anywhere near Iowa, but we still let them help run this shindig. They live in Austin, Texas where they enjoy the music scene and the winters. Quick to brag about the weather in January, they become oddly quiet about it in August (when temperatures reach 1 billion degrees). Dan’s claim to fame is his doppelgänger: he resembles Christian Slater and has had drunk people ask for his autograph. With no marketable skills, he has somehow created an advertising and marketing business, and tries to use those skills to help promote Relay Iowa. But Jodi is the actual brains of the operation. Detail-oriented with a big heart, she seems tireless, using a steady supply of coffee and chocolate as her fuel. They are an awesome couple with three kids, Grace, Nate and Ava. The whole family comes up for Relay Iowa and particularly enjoys the posh accommodations provided in high school gyms and park bathrooms.
Stan Rheingans
The Newest Guy On Board. Handles the Finish Line Like A Boss. We Can’t Get a Photo Because He Moves Too Fast.
Jeff Mease
Jeff joined the Relay Iowa Board in October 2016 and he also serves on the Board of Restoring Hope International. Fun fact: He is the only member of the RI Board who has played the Grinch in a Christmas play and also allowed himself to be turned into a human s’more. Yep. He is one of those guys who will do embarrassing stuff for a cause he loves!
When Jeff learned about Relay Iowa and the story of how it came to be, he knew the event was for him. He loves the idea that a regular guy like Bill Raine wanted to do something about a problem in this world and then went out and did it! Lucky Jeff is married to his best friend Chasity and has 3 cutie kids –Jared, Jaden and Jemma. He is a busy family man who jumps in to help our little relay wherever he is needed.