One of the best things about being a motorcycle rider, on-road or off-road, is that there are so many ways to use riding, rallying or racing to benefit charities.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists across the nation saddle up to support charitable causes, some of which affect them personally.

Here are four examples of 2019 motorcycling events that made a difference.

2019 Flood Run

(Minnesota/Wisconsin)

One charity ride, named the Flood Run, traces its roots to a small group of motorcyclists who rode to battle a natural disaster.

Dana Anderson, who helps coordinate the event, said a group of 12 motorcyclists rode to Winona, Minn., in April 1965 to help with sandbagging during a Mississippi River flood event. In 1970, the group recreated their 1965 ride as a charity run, and it was named the Winona Flood Run (later shortened to the Flood Run).

Two Flood Runs are held each year. The spring ride takes place on the third weekend in April, and the fall ride on the third weekend in September.

Anderson said the original ride was about 90 miles from the Twin Cities metro to Winona. Today, riders have the option of riding U.S. Route 61 on the west side of the Mississippi River, Wisconsin state route 35 on the east side of the river or the “Gold Star” 218-mile route that crosses the river at Winona.

The event has grown from the original 12 riders to about 1,000 official participants for each ride.

The events get started in the morning at Beach Bar and Grill in St. Croix Beach, Minn., where riders buy wristbands and event merchandise, get breakfast, then start the ride.

All money received through merchandise and wristband sales is donated to Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, Minn. A foundation affiliated with the Indian Motorcycle Co. funds the event.

The Flood Run began supporting veterans’ charities in 2018, when the proceeds from a dollar raffle were donated to Soldier 6, which provides service animals for military and police personnel. For the Spring 2019 event, money collected from the event’s motorcycle raffle was donated to Operation 23 to Zero, which works to reduce the number of veterans’ suicides.

Anderson estimates the event has raised about $1 million for charity since 1970. The event generated about $40,000 in 2018, and about $26,000 at the 2019 Spring Flood Run.

In 2018, Indian Motorcycle became the event title sponsor, and the ride became AMA-sanctioned.

Anderson credits the event’s success to the group of volunteers who help put on the Flood Run, but notes the difficulty in finding enough volunteer help to staff a large event.

Beginning in 2018, several groups have “adopted” booths along the route or taken on responsibility for other functions.

Another challenge is the weather.

“Although the weather is always a factor for a motorcycle event, April in Minnesota can mean snow,” Anderson pointed out. “One run in the early 2000s had 12 people show up because it snowed that day.”

Anderson’s advice to other individuals and clubs considering a charity ride is to exercise patience.

“It can take several years to get word out about an event, so many events start smaller,” she said.

Anderson also recommends choosing a large, general charity and building partnerships with other organizations that can provide access to lots of volunteers and marketing help.

Another recommendation that Anderson has for success is to become an AMA-sanctioned event.

“Partnering with the AMA is worth it,” she said. “Event insurance through the AMA is much more realistic than getting insurance any other way.”