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By Jed Blackwell
Editor
A charity motorcycle ride to benefit three area young people and their families will be held this Saturday.
The Open Hearts ride, a project of the Foothills Thunder Motorcycle Club, will kick off at 1 p.m. at Chapman High School. Organizer Glenn Henderson said that there would be plenty for riders to do before and after the ride, and things to keep spectators occupied while the riders are gone.
“We’re going to have food, stuff for kids, a couple of bands, an auction, and a 50-50 drawing,” Henderson said. “There will be plenty for everyone to do.”
Henderson expects the 65-mile ride to take two to two-and-a-half hours, with one stop to be made at North Greenville University. The riders will depart at 1 p.m., ride together, and arrive back at Chapman together.
Last weekend, final preparations were made for the ride as Bojangles in Inman hosted a fundraiser. From 3p.m. - 8 p.m. last Saturday, Bojangles donated 20 percent of its profits to the ride. There were also tickets for sale for two guitar raffle prizes - one autographed by Alabama, and one signed by the Marshall Tucker Band.
“I think we’ll get about $300 from Bojangles, and we sold about $300 worth of tickets,” Henderson said. “We had a pretty good day.”
The ride will benefit Josh Caldwell, Johnathan Dodd, and Alana Bryan. Bryan, 1, is battling leukemia, while Caldwell is fighting cancer. Dodd was severely injured in an auto accident.
Dodd’s mother, Leann Mullis, was thankful for the club’s help.
“It’s an amazing thing to have them donate their generosity and their time to help us,” she said.
Mullis said any money received would help with medical bills.
“He has a C4 and C5 injury, so there have been a lot of hospital stays over the past two years,” she said. “Any help is greatly appreciated. We’ve researched the possibility of neck surgery, and anything will help.”
Caldwell’s mother, Laura, is also grateful for the assistance.
“For me, it’s very special,” she said. “I’m not from here, I’m from Virginia originally, but I’ve been here for 20-something years. For them to do something and include somebody - I mean, these people are doing what they’re doing out of genuine love.”
Caldwell said the club went out of its way to help.
“They approached me,” she said. “They called me and asked if they could help us, and it was awesome. They’re just great people.”
jblackwell@hometown-news.com | 542-6178
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