Ride for the Heart Foundation - Sept 12th & 13th

[OlGeezer]

The Southwest 500/1000/1500 event is upon us. This event is having problems getting riders signed up, probably due to the economy. This is a very worthy cause and I would like to see a significant SouthCoaster participation. O.K., maybe you're not interested in a SaddleSore 1000 or 1500. There is a 500 mile event that everyone can do. The organizers even allowed me to submit a route which has very little freeway. Click here for the route in pdf format. Keep in mind it is tentative until I get final approval from the organization. So far, I've received a "nod of the head".

 

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Ride for the Heart Foundation, it's a 501.3c charity which has been in existence for four or five years. They put on events, touring and long distance alike, for the purposes of raising money for heart related charities. Rider fees pay for the event. The riders then solicit contributions from friends, family and co-workers. In the past, this organization has been responsible for collecting on average $50,000 per year. One of the unique things about this organization is that the contributions go to a charity located in the same county as the rider. So, if you are from Orange County, the contribution would go to the Cardiac Unit at CHOC. If you are from L.A. County your contributions would go to Loma Linda University Hospital. If you are from San Diego County, your contribution would go to Scripts Memorial Hospital.

 

For whatever reason, economy or otherwise, signups have been very slow this year. In the past they have had as many as 315 riders participate in their event. The typical event draws somewhere between 115 and 150. So far, there have been only 21 applications received by the organization. They need at least 70 to cover the costs. As you can imagine, insurance is one of the bigger line items.

 

So, I would like to encourage each and every one of you to sign up for one of the "flavors" on the menu. There is a broad range of starting locations including San Diego, Montclair, Henderson, NV, Las Cruces, NM and Amarillo, TX to name a few. There are three categories of distances including 500 (12 hours), 1000 (24 hours) and 1500 (36 hours) miles. If you successfully complete any of these, you will get a certificate from the Iron Butt Association (yes, even for the 500 mile event). If you like the twisties, you can even do my route although you may not likely finish in 12 hours.

 

It would be great if we could get 10-15 BMWST.com Forum members participating who, on average, solicit 10-15 contributions averaging $25 or more.

 

If you have any questions about the organization, the event or the charities, post them here so that others can read the responses.

 

Reference material:

Click here for a list of the maps.

Click here to find out more about the Ride for the Heart Foundation.

 

Thank you,