Stage Directions: For their 10th annual charity motorcycle ride the Long Reach Long Riders will spend eight days riding through the Great Lakes region next summer. Starting on June 28, 2013, the Long Reach Long Riders will visit all five great lakes along some beautiful biking roads to raise money for Behind the Scenes.
4 comments:
I really enjoy seeing charity rides and events like this. I know it is way too stereotypical, but part of me likes it because in my mind's eye it is a bunch of grizzled old guys, with good hearts. I know that there are many other types of riders who participate in such events. But I think that it is the unity of such things that I love. Many of these riders don't know each other personally, but the camaraderie and the joining together for one goal, makes all the difference. Like the bikers who protect military funerals from Westboro Baptist Church protesters.
It does make me wonder though, what other random groups of people with a common denominator could come together? 'People who dress their pets up in tiny costumes' for ASPCA, or 'Aerial Acrobatic Basket Weaver's Association for Palm Picker's Palsy. The possibilities are endless.
Rides are a really fantastic and I think so far untapped charity option. There is a stereotype about people who ride motorcycles (as Sonia points out, "grizzled old guys") which includes a stigma about what type of people they are. Many people think people who own motorcycles are ruffians of sort, beaten and weathered to the point of not caring, and I think that is totally false. The ink culture surrounding motorcycles is an incredibly artistic one (ask any man if his tattoo is art and the answer is likely yes) so being of good nature should not be as surprising as it is. These men and women have been riding for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for eight years, and it is time we started recognizing their contributions to charity and society. I only wish there were more articles about events like this and all the good these people who are often stereotyped as bad are doing.
I think it is great that these two groups are working together for a great cause. Bikers typically have a stereotype that goes along with them. Even thought today many bikers are in there 50's grey haired and retired. (The retired Baby Boomers) My father being one of these retired baby boomer bikers. The biker crowd usually has money and they are willing to ride to help. This crow I know LOVES to ride and will ride for a long time. Overall this is great looking at people helping one another and enjoying themselves while doing it.
I also think this is a great, using a culture, which I think is huge, to promote issues and raise money. No matter what way you look at what motorcycling means to the world, there are stories, people, a reputation, a culture, a WORLD that goes along with it. Theres also a great amount of dignity and pride that it takes to be an actually, lifetime biker. Using their passion and life as a "vehicle" (pun intended) to promote a cause is something that I feel is worth a lot of recognition and attention.
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