COAST-TO-COAST RIDE FOR KIDS® EVENTS RAISE $255,000 TO FIGHT PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMORS Motorcyclists on both sides of the country came out in full force on Sunday, May 15, 2005, to show their support for young brain tumor survivors. Before the day was done, they had raised more than $255,000 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s research and family support programs. A bright, sunny day in Cary, N.C., greeted 380 motorcyclists as they gathered at Cary Towne Center mall for the 2nd annual Triangle Ride for Kids®. The 53-mile ride went past farms, wooded areas and lakes before reaching the Lee County Emergency Services Training Center at Central Carolina Community College in Sanford, N.C. At the end point, the riders joined a special Celebration of Life program featuring nine Ride for Kids® “Stars,” ranging in age from three to 14. Thirteen-year-old Bryan, a sixth-grader who loves science, has been fighting brain cancer since he was four. “It is just as hard as you think,” his mom, Janet, told the crowd. “We get overwhelmed, but not defeated. We’ve gone from no hope to pretty good success treating these tumors,” she said. “We need to continue this research.” Some of the world’s most promising research is being done at the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Institute at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., by Dr. Hai Yan. “Your hard work brings our research forward,” he told the motorcyclists. “Seeing these beautiful children in the hospital makes me want to find the answer to the question ‘why’ they get brain tumors. Every single dollar you’ve raised today is going to help us find the cause.” Top Individual Fundraiser honors went to Pat and Ray Griffin of Archdale, N.C., who raised $3,070. The Top Club, GWRRA NC-E2 of Elizabeth City, N.C., raised $8,237, while the customers of Team Powersports of Garner, N.C., made it the Top Dealer with $10,256 in donations. The total raised at the Triangle, N.C. ride was $40,350. Mitchell Beeler of Fayetteville, N.C., was the winner of a brand-new Honda Rebel 250 motorcycle. On the West Coast a few hours later, participants in the 14th Annual Torrance Ride for Kids® added $214,669 to the day’s proceeds. More than 800 motorcyclists gathered under sunny skies at Honda of America’s corporate campus in Torrance, Calif., for an hour-long ride through the South Bay area of Los Angeles. Ten young brain tumor survivors took part in the festivities, including five-year-old Alexa and 21-year-old Michelle, a PBTF scholarship recipient due to graduate from the University of California at Irvine in June. Dr. Jonathan Finlay of L.A. Children’s Hospital spoke on behalf of the local medical community. Honda executives in attendance included T. Arima, vice president of the Honda Motorcycle division; Mark Pearlstine, assistant vice president of the Honda Rider’s Club of America and Rider Education; Silvio Carrara, vice president of Motorcycle Service; PBTF board member Wayne Toyota, senior manager of Advertising; Gary Kessler, vice president of Human Resources; and HRCA manager Charlie Keller. The Top Individual Fundraisers were Bill and Diana Boyer of Lomita, Calif., who raised $31,427. The Top Club, Honda Employees Riders Club #1, raised $48,597, while the customers of Top Dealer JBJ Cycles of Santa Ana, Calif., contributed $45,715. Malcolm Harbauer of Rialto, Calif., won the grand prize, a Honda Rebel 250. American Honda Motor Company generously donated the motorcycles for both rides. Heartfelt appreciation went to the volunteer Task Force Leaders for both rides””Rod and Maxine Gilvey and Bettie and L.J. McDade in North Carolina; and Mike and Lori Whitaker, Steve Squire and Jennifer McMullen, and Louis Vanderveen in California””and their dedicated volunteers for conducting successful Ride for Kids® events. Proceeds of the events fund the medical research and family support programs of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Since 1984, the national Ride for Kids® program and PBTF have supported childhood brain tumor research and family support programs. Programs include free literature about brain tumors, the Helping Hand and Caring Hand national newsletters, the Informed Parent Internet Conference series and college scholarships for young brain tumor survivors. Thanks to the thousands of caring and generous motorcyclists and motorcycle dealers who have supported the program since its inception, PBTF has become the world’s largest non-governmental source of funding for pediatric brain tumor research. The next Ride for Kids® events are on Sunday, June 6, 2005, in Atlanta, Ga., and Richmond, Va. For more information about the Ride for Kids® and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, please visit rideforkids.org or pbtfus.org, or call (800) 253-6530.