New England Ride for Kids raises $96K

The 2001 Ride for Kids continued its record setting pace as 650 riders turned in
$96,409 at the 2001 New England Ride for Kids on Sunday, August 19.

A cloudy early morning haze gave way to a beautiful sunny New England morning as
motorcyclists from the Northeast gathered in the Wal-Mart parking lot in N.
Oxford, Massachusetts for the fourth annual New England Ride for Kids. Task
Force Leaders Howard Hecht and Bill McKenna were delighted that the predications
for rain were incorrect!  At 10:00 AM, the police escort from the Oxford Police
Department, plus several motorcycle officers from the Massachusetts State
Police, and numerous local agencies led the assembled riders on the non-stop
journey to Mt. Holyoke College, end point for this years ride.


After parking their motorcycles and gathering a sack lunch, this year's
participants gathered under the big tent for the "Celebration of Life" program.
Little Ryen Blackey was the hero of the day, attending his second New England
Ride for Kids. Last year Ryen was only three months old and was breathing with
the assistance of an oxygen tank. This year he brought the crowd to its feet
when his dad Ralph announced that his brain tumor had reacted positively to
treatment over the past year and that a second tumor on his spinal cord was
showing a reduction in size without any treatment!


Renee DeMeo was present last year via telephone. This year she was at the ride
in person. She announced that she had just graduated from high school and was
looking forward to beginning college in the fall. Her long-term goal is to
become a veterinarian -- as witnessed by the presence of her pet kitty on her
shoulder.  Ayla Saros, age 5, rode in the event for the second year in a row.
Hillary Labonte, age 13, arrived with her parents as a first time attendee at a
Ride for Kids event. The crowd came to its feel when the kids unrolled the big
check revealing the assembled motorcyclist's had raised $96,409 for the 2001 New
England Ride for Kids.


Congratulations to all of the fundraisers for this year's event! Wayne and
Shirley Anderson raised a total of $5,711. Top club honors went to GWRRA MA-W
with $21, 984. The top dealership honors went to Chip's Motorcycle Clinic of
Northbridge, MA. with $16,255. The winner of the new Honda Motorcycle was Art
Frazier of Chepachet, RI.


The money raised will support the programs of the Pediatric Brain Tumor
Foundation of the United States (PBTFUS) as it funds medical research seeking
the cause and cure of childhood brain tumors. The Ride for Kids program made two
stops this past weekend. On Sunday, August 26, 2001 Ann Arbor, Michigan and
Asheville, North Carolina (home of the PBTFUS) hosted 2001 Ride for Kids events.
Details will be provided later this week.


For more information concerning the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the
United States or the Ride for Kids program call 800-253-6520 or visit the
websites, www.pbtfus.org or www.ride4kids.org.


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