Motorcyclists from around northern California rode together at the first annual Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF) San Francisco Bay Area Ride for Kids® on June 25 to raise more than $40,000 for childhood brain tumor research.
Enthusiasm and joy were in the air as the 200 participants left Pleasanton Middle School under sunny skies for a police-escorted ride through northern California’s wine country, ranch areas and canyons.
The Celebration of Life back at the school featured five local pediatric brain tumor survivors, ranging in age from 8-year-old Malcolm to Chelsea, 23. Mike Cable, father of 9-year-old Brennan, delighted the crowd when he reported that his son's most recent MRI was clear.
Neurosurgeon Dr. Mitch Berger and his research colleague Dr. David James of the University of California at San Francisco, site of a PBTF research institute, thanked the crowd for their hard work.
The total raised at the San Francisco event was $40,365. The top individual fundraiser was Ruth Chambers of Santa Rosa, Calif., who brought $5,100. Members of the top club, the Redwood Riders from Santa Rosa, turned in $5,100, while the customers of Jim & Jim's Yamaha of Santa Rosa made it the top motorcycle business with $5,390 in donations. The grand prize, a brand-new Honda motorcycle, went to Donald Tolbert of San Bruno, Calif.
Special thanks went to the San Francisco Bay Area event's task force leaders, Kathy and Jon Carlson and Kathy and Ricky Freeman, visitation leader Bill Goldsby, the hardworking volunteer task force and day-of-event volunteers, for hosting a superb first-time event.
