WEEKEND RIDE FOR KIDS EVENTS RAISE MORE THAN $341,000 FOR PBTF
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Brain tumor patient Liliana, 3 (right) and her brother, Gabriel, 7, got the VIP treatment at the Sacramento ride. |
Ride for Kids® events in California, Texas and Nevada raised more than $341,000 yesterday for the
Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
.
Sacramento tops $108,000
More than 250 riders and supporters in California's capital city met in
Woodland for the 16th annual Sacramento Ride for Kids®, which raised
$108,295 for the PBTF.
The beautiful morning was perfect for a police-escorted ride through
northern California's "Gold Country." Back at the Yolo County
Fairgrounds, the Celebration of Life program honored 14 local brain
tumor patients, including 3-year-old Liliana and Darren, 11.
Survivor Jamie, 20, got a standing ovation when her letter was read
that said, "Thanks to new treatments, I have already surpassed the
estimated time of survival by six years."
Dr. Sam Ciricillo, a pediatric neurosurgeon with the Sutter Neuroscience Medical Group, also spoke to the group.
The top individual fundraisers once again this year were Ann and Kirk
Harry of El Dorado Hills, Calif., who raised $25,065 in memory of their
son Sam. Capital City Wings, GWRRA CA-C of Sacramento, was the top
club/chapter with $34,031 raised, and with $29,986, the top motorcycle
business was Malott's Honda of Manteca.
The grand prize Honda motorcycle went to Chuck Gillingham of Witter Springs, Calif.
Special thanks went to the local Ride for KidsÆ task force and event
volunteers, led by Lillian and Jack Cushman, Kathy and Jon Carlson, and
Steve Long.
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Nine-year-old Dallas ride star Summer (left) and her twin sister, Sydney, get ready to roll. |
DFW riders raise $135,000
The sixth annual Dallas/Fort Worth Ride for KidsÆ continues raised
$135,000, an 18 percent increase over last year's announced total.
A sunny morning greeted the crowd of 500 motorcyclists
and supporters gathered at Grapevine Mills Mall. The riders and their
police escort left the metropolitan area for the countryside, enjoying
rural scenery before returning for the powerful Celebration of Life
program.
Seven Ride for KidsÆ stars, including 2-year-old
Josephine and Cassie, 5, were on stage to talk about their lives. Said
Carson, 16, "I can't imagine all of you doing this. Thank you for
helping kids with brain tumors."
The program also honored the memory of young Trinity
Bright, who died last year at age 7 before she could attend a Ride for
KidsÆ event. Her parents, Angel and John, and their friend Jamie
Mancini, held a memorial walk/run to raise funds for the PBTF. They
donated more than $15,000 at the ride.
Top individual fundraisers were Gary and Julie
Touchstone of Colleyville, who brought $21,888. The top club/chapter
was HRCA Maxim Honda of Allen, Texas, with $30,090 in donations. Maxim
Honda customers donated a total of $39,043 to give it the top
motorcycle business spot. Jasmine Khan of Waco won the grand prize
Honda motorcycle.
A heartfelt thanks went to the local Ride for KidsÆ
task force and event volunteers, led by Gary and Julie Touchstone, Jeff
Latimer, Fetch Daniel, and Shane and Pam Sutton.
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Las Vegas ride stars celebrate this year's impressive fundraising total.
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Las Vegas riders hit jackpot
The fourth annual Las Vegas Ride for KidsÆ saw a 78
percent increase over last year's event, raising $98,370 for the PBTF
on Oct. 5.
Gorgeous weather greeted the 550 motorcyclists and
supporters at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A police escort led the riders
to Blue Diamond, Nev., passing the stunning Red Rock Canyon and desert
mountains along the way.
Eight local brain tumor survivors were honored as Ride
for Kids "stars" during the Celebration of Life program. The
fundraisers heard from them all, including 4-year-old Brooke, Tobin,
16, and two PBTF scholarship recipients, Alex and Devin.
Pediatric oncologist Dr. Jonathan Bernstein thanked
the motorcyclists for their hard work. "Without your generosity these
research grants would not be available and a lot of the new treatments
would not have been developed," he said.
Top fundraiser honors went to Heinz and Lisa Lauer of
Las Vegas, who raised $17,237. The Desert Riders Club was the top
chapter/club with $17,493, and the customers of Carter Powersports of
Las Vegas made it the top motorcycle dealer with $35,630 in
contributions. The grand prize Honda motorcycle went to Heinz Lauer.
A big thank-you went to the 2008 task force leaders,
Charli and Dave Carter, Tammy and Ron Palmer, and Susan Clift, along
with their terrific volunteers.
About the PBTF Ride for Kids
Æ
Since 1984, the national
Ride for Kids
Æ program and the
Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
(PBTF) have promoted childhood brain tumor research and provided
family support through free literature about brain tumors, educational
newsletters, online conferences and college scholarships. With the help
of America's motorcycling community, the PBTF has become the world's
largest non-governmental source of funding for childhood brain tumor
research.
The 25th PBTF Ride for KidsÆ season continues on Sunday, Oct. 12, in Phoenix, Ariz. For more information, go to
rideforkids.org
or call 800-253-6530. |