Torrential rainstorms didn't dampen the spirits of generous motorcyclists in North Carolina's Research Triangle on May 7. The third annual event Triangle Area Ride for Kids® posted its best results ever, more than doubling last year’s total with more than $82,000 raised. All proceeds benefited the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF).
The police did a great job of keeping the 350 participants safe on the country roads as they made their way to Carolina Community College's Emergency Training Facility in Sanford. The mood was festive under the big-top tent there, where the Celebration of Life featured eight local pediatric brain tumor survivors.
Many are patients at the nearby Duke University Medical Center, home of the PBTF Institute, which is dedicated to childhood brain tumor research. One of its leading scientists, Dr. Hai Yan, thanked the crowd for its efforts. "The funds you all raise are so important because research dollars today are very scarce," he said.
The stars of the day included Nicholas, 5, who has a white leader belt in Tae Kwon Do, and Cayce, 20, who will attend college this year with the help of a PBTF scholarship. Carrie, the mother of 3-year-old Camden, said that her son "was diagnosed at 6 months and went in for surgery 24 hours later. We went in with fear and came out with hope."
The total raised at the Triangle event was $82,320. The top individual fundraisers were Jerry Hart and Nelson Brewer of Raleigh, who brought $15,818. The top club, GWRRA NC-E2 of Elizabeth City, brought $15,581, closely followed by the Blue Knights of NC, Chapter 2, with $15,218. The top two motorcycle businesses were Turner's Honda of Elizabeth City with $21,246 and Ray Price Harley-Davidson of Raleigh, with $19,959 in customer donations. The grand prize, a brand-new Honda motorcycle, went to Jerry Hart.
Heartfelt thanks go to the ride's task force leaders, Maxine and Rod Gilvey and Bettie and L.J. McDade, visitation leaders Linda and Richard Berner, and their hardworking volunteer task force and day-of-event volunteers, for hosting a record-breaking event.
