The motorcycling community continued to give generously to charity in 2010, defying the economic downturn by contributing more than $4.5 million to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation® (PBTF) Ride for Kids® program.
The total includes funds turned in at Ride for Kids® events, corporate and local sponsorships, and donated goods and services.
“Times are tough, but try telling that to a motorcyclist who wants to help a sick child,” said Ride for Kids® National Director Kyle Clack. “Every dollar raised makes a difference in the life of a child with a brain tumor.”
Ride for Kids® expanded to 40 cities in 2010, and will be in those same cities in 2011. A few changes are in store: Rides in South Florida and Philadelphia will have new start points, and the Houston, Los Angeles, Kansas City and Knoxville rides have moved weekends. Go to www.rideforkids.org to see the full event schedule.
2010 leaderboard
The PBTF tracks fundraising in three categories: motorcycle business, club/chapter, and individual. Here are 2010’s leaders:
- Northwest Honda of Houston took the top motorcycle business spot, helping make the Houston Ride for Kids® the highest-grossing event in the country. Their customers also attended rides in Birmingham, Dallas, Lafayette, La., and Tulsa, contributing a total of $148,417.
- Houston is also the home of the nation’s leading motorcycle chapter. Members of Gold Wing Road Riders Association (GWRRA) TX-C brought $57,211 in donations to their local Ride for Kids®.
- PBTF board member Bob Henig, owner of Bob’s BMW in Jessup, Md., raised more than any other individual in 2010. He contributed $106,434 to the Baltimore/Washington Ride for Kids®.
Motorcycle industry partners
Ride for Kids® is fortunate to benefit from the goodwill of many motorcycle industry partners. The Honda Riders Club of America is now in its 20th year as our presenting sponsor, and we thank its parent company, the American Honda Motor Company, for its ongoing support. In 2010 we also welcomed GEICO as our exclusive national insurance sponsor.
Additional support comes from Cycle World, Advanstar Communications and the International Motorcycle Shows, and from event prize sponsors AGV Helmets, Dunlop Tires, Tourmaster Luggage and Cardo Systems, and RIDE TEXAS for the Texas events..
Many other businesses champion our cause, including media outlets, after-market companies and dealerships that tell motorcyclists about Ride for Kids®. As we gear up for the 2011 season, we’re also grateful to graphic artist and industry veteran Matt Combs for providing this year’s striking artwork.
Riding for a reason
The Ride for Kids® program has helped the PBTF raise over $61 million for childhood brain tumor research and family support programs to date.
“Ride for Kids® supporters are helping to create a world where children have a fair chance at a long and healthy life,” said Clack. “Thanks to them, we are literally changing people’s lives.”
As the world’s largest non-governmental source of childhood brain tumor research support, the PBTF has funded projects at more than 50 facilities worldwide. Our PBTF Institutes at Duke University, the University of California San Francisco, and the Hospital for Sick Children in Canada are working together to change outcomes for the better.
We also offer free family support resources, including college scholarships and educational literature, to assist people affected by childhood brain tumors.
Come ride with us!
All makes and models of street-legal motorcycles are welcome at Ride for Kids®. Forty events will take place in 2011, starting April 3 in Deerfield Beach, Fla. Learn more at www.rideforkids.org.
– SOURCE Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundtaion
