Bikers ride for a good cause
Bikers Don Byrd and Bill Needham present VFW Post 1675 Commander Chris Marker with a check for $1,400 following the recent "Serving our Soldiers Mountain Ride."
Courtesy photo
CATALDO — What better way to raise money for a good cause than taking your motorcycle for a day-ride with your friends?
That's exactly what the organizers of "Serving our Military Mountain Ride & Rally" have been doing for four years in a row now.
Organizer Don Byrd explained that, like years past, the goal of the Dave Smith Motors sponsored event is to raise money for Silver Valley veterans organizations.
The ride, which began at Timbers Roadhouse in Cataldo and ran through the Silver Valley, raised $1,400 which benefits the local VFW Post 1675. Raised funds primarily came from event registration, donations, and raffle tickets.
Post Commander Chris Marker told the News-Press that without the money, several of the opportunities that they provide both local veterans and other organizations would not be possible. As many of the local veterans continue to age, and with costs of living seemingly always on the rise, being able to offer them some help when they need it is one of the tenants of the VFW.
“We use some of the money for our relief fund, which goes directly toward helping veterans with medical bills or a tank of gas,” Marker explained. “We also use it for our Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy essay contest prizes.”
Each year, these essay contests allow Silver Valley youth to get involved with the local VFW and potentially land them hundreds to thousands of dollars in prize money if their essay is successful at the district, state, and national competition levels.
“We’re just really thankful these guys do this every year, and every year they donate the money to us,” Marker said. “We are responsible for raising our own funds – which we do through our monthly breakfasts, but anything we get donated is appreciated greatly.”
Following the cruise through the Silver Valley that took riders to Wallace and back, both participants and the public were invited to a motorcycle rodeo at Timbers Roadhouse.
Byrd and his fellow organizers first got the idea for the Mountain Ride five years ago, when a man who was walking cross-country for veterans stayed at the Trail Motel.
"I had been looking to do a project for bikers in the area," Byrd said. "Once I heard this guy's story, I had done my research…and decided that this is where I was going to go with this."
Byrd was also sure to thank all the businesses that donated items to their raffle.