Northern California motorcyclists at the third annual San Francisco Ride for Kids® raised more than $52,000 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation on June 29.
Blue sky and sunshine greeted the crowd of 330 motorcyclists and supporters gathered at Pleasanton Middle School. The police-escorted ride followed winding mountain roads into beautiful Niles Canyon before looping back to the school for the moving Celebration of Life program.
There the riders and fundraisers honored the three "stars" of the day, including Malcolm (10), Kevin (16) and Chelsea (24). Malcolm's father, Duncan told the crowd: "I am not a hero. I do what I have to do because I am directly affected by this devastating disease. The people that are heroes are the ones that have a choice, and then choose to make the sacrifice to be here today to support the search for the cause and cure.
The crowd also heard from two researchers, Dr. Anu Benerjee and Dr. Graeme Hodgson of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Institute at the University of California, San Francisco.
The event raised a total of $52,152. The top individual fundraiser was Amy Snyder of San Jose, who brought $9,870. The Curve Unit was the top club with $11,395 raised, while $4,722 in customer donations made Wing Nut of Fairfield the top motorcycle business. Joe Fazio of San Rafael won the grand-prize Honda motorcycle.
Heartfelt thanks went to San Francisco's dedicated task force, led by Jon and Kathy Carlson and visitation leaders John and Louise Fredriksson. They and their event volunteers made it an extra-special day for the kids.
