Riding for Education

A group of folks who work at a prominent regional utility decided recently they would like to get together.

They had a common love of riding motorcycles and there was the commonality of the workplace so a morning ride on a beautiful summer weekend seemed like a grand idea.

Even grander would be to turn the bike ride into a way to raise some money.

Ride for cause; that was the ticket.

Sure, the concept of the bike ride was not so much to raise money, at least not initially.

They were just motorcycle lovers. Their bikes were one of their passions.

They were hoping to build camaraderie and have a little fun over a common hobby.

And if raising money meant charging people to join the fun and frolic, well, that wasn’t exactly the point.

But they wanted a purpose to the ride.

So the idea came to have the ride benefit the education foundations in Gulf, Franklin and Wakulla counties, all within the service area of the company they worked for.

This was certainly the year for such assistance as foundations have found funding increasingly difficult to uncover in this increasingly difficult economic climate.

The timing could not have been better.

But the pressure was the thing. This was supposed to be a fun event, just a way to enjoy a weekend outdoors with fellow bikers.

Therefore they determined there would be no fees involved.

They would just show up, take a long ride and if anybody wanted to donate to the three education foundations fine, but nobody was going to be forced or looked down upon if they did not.

No peer pressure, only from the heart.

The idea then came: Why not invite all motorcycle riders to join the fun?

 Invite anybody in the public who shared their love of motorcycles.

Who even shared their desire to help feed young minds through providing funds to foundations that provided the dollars for the out-of-the-box curriculum ideas that creative teachers dreamed up.

They got sign off of support from the three foundations.

And the ride became a public ride, an invite to the public to join in.

The emphasis, though, was no strings attached.

There is no charge, no admission fee to ride. There will be lunch and that also will be free.

Everything is donation only, give if the urge hits but have fun and meet fellow riders in any case.

The group will gather at Forest Park South, on 16^th Street in Port St. Joe, at 9 a.m. EDT this Saturday.

Kickstands go up and the group will set off at 9:30 a.m.

From there, the group will ride for the next three hours and return to Forest Park for lunch.

This is not an organized event, but a group of people who like to ride motorcycles in their free time and want to raise some money to assist a teacher in reaching a child in his or her classroom.

Emphasis added, donation only.

The only thing these folks would ask of the public is to register in advance if only to have an accurate head count for lunch.

All those who wish to participate are asked to call Sheila at 229-5530 to register.

If you enjoy a good leisurely ride on a summer Saturday morning, come on out and join the fun and meet some folks and maybe make a friend or two.

If desired, make a donation to the education foundations which are an important part of any public school system.

Most of all have some fun and enjoy your passion with others who share it.

That education will be bolstered along the bike’s route is only icing.