Motorcyclists made it a great weekend for children with brain tumors in Wisconsin and New York, raising $248,604 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.
Wisconsin ride continues to grow
Sunday, Aug. 2 was Ride for Kids® Day in Wisconsin, and motorcyclists marked the occasion by bringing $147,306 to the sixth annual event. This was a 44 percent increase over the 2008 ride.
More than 425 supporters gathered at Fireman’s Park in Middleton before the riders and their police escort departed on a tour of the rolling farmland of southern Wisconsin.
Following the ride, the Celebration of Life program honored 12 Ride for Kids® stars, including four PBTF college scholarship recipients.
Anderson’s mom, Michelle, spoke from the heart about her 3-year-old son’s illness. “When Anderson was diagnosed at 7 months, the PBTF became our source of information,” she said. “Now it is our source of hope and understanding.”
The riders also heard from Dr. Wade Mueller, a professor in the department of neurosurgery at Medical College of Wisconsin.
The first-place fundraisers were:
- Individuals: Randy and Pam Gulseth, $11,538
- Club/Chapter: Sandy and Sam’s Memorial Ride, $21,940
- Motorcycle Business: Pro Motor Sports of Wausau, $21,940
The grand-prize Honda motorcycle winner was Kathy Bierman of Deerfield, Ill.
Dedicated volunteers made this event possible. Special thanks went to task force leaders Joe Bentz, Tim Schueller, Mike Witt, Marcella Newell and Randy Gulseth.
(
left) McKenna gets a helping hand with her helmet in Wisconsin. (
right) Robert was all smiles in Hudson Valley despite the rain.
Rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the 175 supporters who turned out for the 17th annual Hudson Valley Ride for Kids®. They brought $101,298 in hope to the 12 local brain tumor survivors in attendance.
Motorcyclists left Central Valley Elementary School with a police escort for an uninterrupted ride through the foothills of the Catskills. They returned for a moving Celebration of Life program, which gave the children and their families a chance to share their stories.
Danny Lam rode in memory of his daughter Devon, who succumbed to her brain tumor last year. “Thank you all for raising not only funds, but awareness of this terrible disease that took my daughter,” he told the riders. “We don’t have a choice about being on this Earth, but we do have a choice about what we do and you guys are making a real difference.”
The top fundraisers were:
- Individuals: Jon and Valerie Ford, $25,005
- Club/Chapter: New Rochelle HOG, $15,432
- Motorcycle Business: Bergen County (N.J.) Harley-Davidson, $11,574
Maryann Cullin of Port Jervis, N.Y., won the drawing for a Honda motorcycle.
A special thank-you went to the local task force and event volunteers, led by Jack Jones, Liz Jones and Mark Perillo.
About the PBTF Ride for Kids®
The national Ride for Kids® program and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF) promote childhood brain tumor research and provide family support through free literature about brain tumors, educational newsletters, online conferences and college scholarships. The next Ride for Kids® events are on Aug. 9 in Pittsburgh, Penn., and Aug. 16 in North Oxford, Mass. For more information, go to
http://www.rideforkids.org/ or call 800-253-6530.
