Bikers gather and ride to raise money for breast cancer

By Nick Smith
INDEX Contributor
DAVISON — They gathered by the hundreds Saturday morning, many decked out in leather jackets, jeans and bandanas, lining up their motorcycles to do two things.

Ride and raise money for a good cause.

Between seven and eight hundred area and out-of-state riders took to their motorcycles Saturday afternoon and took part in the fifth annual Riding For The Ribbon event to raise money to fight breast cancer.

Riders began to gather in the parking lot of Cummings Harley-Davidson, 5350 Davison Rd., as the 11 a.m. registration began to wait for the beginning of the 40-mile police escorted ride throughout Genesee County.

According to ride organizer Dave Woods, the ride was set to begin at 1 p.m. sharp and would take just under an hour before ending at the Davison Eagles Aerie #3589, 3270 N. State Rd. Bikers could register for $10 per person.

“This is essentially all of us coming out and doing something we like and doing it for a good cause,” Woods said.

Woods said he estimated through biker registration for the ride and donations the total amount of money raised would likely be around $9,000. He said the money was to be split between three groups for cancer research: the American Cancer Society, Genesis Hurley Cancer Institute and Great Lakes Cancer Institute.

“We usually have a fundraiser in March each year to raise funds for this event. We use the money for t-shirts and fliers for advertising,” Woods said.

Also manning a booth in the parking lot handing out free bracelets, snacks and drinks before the ride began was Bob Giffel, executive director for Genesis Hurley Cancer Institute. Giffel said the Genesis Hurley Cancer Institute has partnered with Woods for the Riding For The Ribbon event for five years. He also said the money they receive out of the proceeds from the event will go directly towards breast cancer research and patient services.

“This is a wonderful group of people doing what they love. We’re here to show our support for them and we appreciate everyone here supporting the cause,” Giffel said.

John McCrea, member of the Davison Eagle Riders, said shortly before the ride began that he was impressed by the turnout as the morning had passed. He said it was the first year that the ride would be finishing up at the Davison Eagles Aerie.

“We’re just very proud of everyone and this turnout and glad to have the opportunity to work with everyone for this event,” McCrea said.

At the conclusion of the ride, Woods said there would be a party with food, refreshments and four bands playing into the evening. He said the party would last until the crowd felt the party was over.
“This is an event for the whole community, not just the biker community,” Woods said.