Motorcylcists Ride for Red Saturday
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on March 28, 2005 1:47 PM
Thirty-five motorcyclists turned out Saturday for the first-ever Ride For The Red fund-raiser to benefit the Wayne County chapter of the American Red Cross. Riders raised $2,695 and more donations are expected to boost that total.
The event was part of the Red Cross Heroes Campaign, which began March 1 and ends Thursday.
Sponsoring the 75-mile ride was the Goldsboro chapter of Blue Knights International. Capt. Glenn Barnes of the Goldsboro Police Department is president of the club. He said the group had hoped to raise at least $2,500 and wanted to make the ride fun so more riders would participate next year.
"We tried to make the ride fun and pick a route that was scenic, not too congested and didn't have a lot of stop signs," Barnes said. "It was a nice, leisurely ride.
"Hopefully this is the beginning of something that will just get bigger and better," he said.
Money was raised through registration as well as through sponsorships. The Blue Knights also sold ride pins and had a drawing to raise even more money.
The idea for the ride came about when local Red Cross Director Chuck Waller told Barnes about a group in Onslow County conducting a similar ride. "It sounded like a good idea to me and something that we could make work," said Barnes, who has been a Red Cross "Hero" for the past two years. "Heroes" are people who raise at least $1,000 for the campaign.