By Michael MarinoB

Each year, thousands of motorcyclists throw a leg over their machines, line up to race or bring out their show bikes for good causes.

The AMA sanctions hundreds of charity events each year, ranging from road rides to bike shows to racing events, that benefit a wide range of organizations and causes while shining a light on some of the great things about the motorcycling lifestyle.

Here are four examples of AMA-sanctioned events that drew motorcyclists together to help others.

Iron Enterprises LLC, High Voltage motorcycle show and ice races

Some event organizers are motivated by what a cause has done for them personally. AMA member Ron Brefka chose the charity he credits with keeping him alive.

After surviving a bout of pancreatic cancer, the Milwaukee resident and custom motorcycle parts fabricator is giving back to the organization.

Brefka said he began the High Voltage Vintage Motorcycle and Chopper Show through his business, iRon Industries LLC, in 2016. The free show is held annually in Milwaukee’s Humboldt Park, and it raises money through the donations of attendees.

The 2018 edition on Sept. 8 featured 220 motorcycles and attracted thousands of attendees. The 2018 showed raised $5,000 for the We Care Fund for Medical Innovation and Research that supports pancreatic cancer research at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Even with the success of the show, Brefka was still determined to do more motorcycle-related fundraising for cancer research.

He said a conversation with a sponsor of a long-defunct ice racing event near Milwaukee’s Wilson Park convinced him to revive the competition for charity.

The first High Voltage Ice Races were held in January 2018.

Brefka said the high point of his charity efforts was when the doctor who treated his cancer, Doug Evans, showed up at the motorcycle show. It was there Brefka learned that the world-renowned surgeon and cancer researcher had been a motorcyclist in college and greatly appreciated the work Brefka was putting in to fund cancer research.

The 2019 races were canceled due to weather conditions. Despite the setback, Brefka said he is determined to use the rest of his life to deliver as much hope to pancreatic cancer patients as he can.

So far, his efforts have raised about $7,500 for the We Care Fund.

 

Alternatives Inc.’s Dignity Run

While many motorcycle-themed charity events are born when a club chooses a cause, Alternatives Inc. in Raritan, N.J., sought out the motorcyclists.

Alternatives Inc. plans and directs the AMA-sanctioned Dignity Run, which attracts riders and clubs to raise money for programs and services for people experiencing mental challenges, individuals who have sustained a traumatic brain injury and homeless children.

Anita Feiner, director of development, and Glori Bine-Callagy, director of intake and admissions, said several of the organization’s staff members ride or are the spouses of riders, and that the region around Raritan is motorcycle country.

They said there isn’t a weekend that goes by without motorcycles streaming through the town.

After a few years of discussion about hosting a motorcycle event, one of Alternatives Inc.’s executives, Fresia Skoczypec, led the effort to stage the first Dignity Run event in 2015.

Feiner and Bine-Callagy said that, while the first event attracted about 50 participants, the organization believed there was more potential.

Skoczypec attended a meeting of AMA District 2 in 2015. There she met AMA Charter Life Member Kenny Andrejewski. He encouraged Skoczypec to work with the AMA to sanction and promote the event.

She said getting the event on the AMA calendar increased the event’s visibility and led to the event’s continued growth.

The 2018 edition of the event on Oct. 14 attracted about 300 motorcyclists. The escorted ride took participants through Somerset and Hunterdon counties. The event also featured vendors and a chance to win prizes.

Feiner and Bine-Callagy said the Dignity Run events have opened their eyes to how misunderstood and how generous the motorcycling community is.

“It is a fantastic group of people,” Feiner said. “We need more groups like those motorcycle clubs in the nonprofit world.”

Their advice to other nonprofits considering taking the lead on such an event: Have an ambassador who can speak for both organizations. They credit Alternatives Inc.’s staff riders as a big reason for the Dignity Run’s success.

“That person needs to know both audiences and understand the needs of charitable nonprofits,” she said.

 

Toledo Trail Riders’ Laps for Whitehouse Fire Company

Charity events are nothing new for the AMA-chartered Toledo Trail Riders. Club President Matt Bucher said the club from northwest Ohio has been putting on charity rides for five years.

The club’s first charity ride benefited Hannah Socks, which distributes socks to families in need in the Toledo area.

Since then, the club has chosen a different charity to benefit each year.

It collects donations from event participants (suggested $20), and raffles items donated by event sponsors.

In 2018, the club held its Laps for the Whitehouse Fire Company event Oct. 2 and raised more than $1,900. Bucher said the fire company plans to use the funds to buy new equipment and fund a scholarship program for local high school students.

Bucher said all of the club’s events—charity or otherwise—take place in the Maumee ORV Riding Area. The club worked closely with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to get the necessary permits to hold its first charity event, and they have maintained a good rapport since.

He said the ODNR office was apprehensive at first, but the positive working relationship the club established helped get the needed approvals.

Bucher said the club’s decision to benefit the fire company is an example of helping those who help the club. The fire company provides emergency medical services at the club’s events.

The charity events also benefit the club.

“We get new club members every year at the charity events,” he said. “We also receive local media coverage of our event each year, which has helped with our advocacy efforts.”

Bucher’s advice to other clubs is to do the homework, build strong relationships with local officials and don’t hesitate to help those in need.

“It’s easy to take things for granted,” he said. “You get reminded of how much some people are in need at our events.”

 

Mid-West Motorcycle Club’s Hangover Rally

While many people around the world were either hung over, sleeping in or both on New Year’s Day, members of the Mid-West Motorcycle Club awoke early to stage a motorcycle rally.

They’ve been doing it since 1982.

Bob Shackelford is an AMA Charter Life Member and a member of the Indianapolis-based club, which first chartered with the AMA in 1924.

He said the Hangover Rally, as it has become known, draws 300 to 400 riders.

The event has been canceled just twice.

Originally a timed road run, the event was converted into a poker run in 1994. But due to state gaming laws, the club switched it to a darts run and road run because poker is considered a game of chance, while darts is a game of skill.

Shackelford said the event features a 30-mile course, with a back-up 3-mile course, in case of inclement conditions.

The club made Damar Services, an Indianapolis charity that serves children in need, the event’s permanent beneficiary in 2000.

Shackelford said the event has raised a total of $139,494 since 2000, including $5,694 in 2019.