Christmas Holidays
Chapter M and our charities
The 2011 Christmas
Holidays for Chapter M has been very busy. Our nightly lighted bike rides/
displays have been a great success. Possibly, it's the near perfect riding
weather that has contributed to such an unusual holiday response. Regardless,
we've enjoyed an overwhelming heartfelt appreciation from the community this
year.
Our lighted rides
have enabled us to provide substantial monitary contributions to the two
charitable organizations that we support - The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
and Clothes-to-Kid's in Pinellas County . Both of these
organizations have low overhead costs, so that our contributions provide the
best return for each dollar we raise. Both of these organizations
attempt to help desperate families get through each day. You might say
that they are organizations that attempt to help with the real needs of many families.
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In in
the United States each day,
eleven children are diagnosed with a brain tumor. Forty percent of those
children will not survive more than five years after the initial
diagnosis. Many of those that do survive, suffer for their entire
life with the severe side effects from the medications and operations that
they undergo. Each November, our chapter participates in the Tampa Bay -
Ride For Kid's®. It is at this event that we turn
over the contributions that we have collected for the Pediatric Brain
Tumor Foundation. Please click here to see a video about the
Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and our
Ride for Kids®.
Click here to see PBTF rating.
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The other charitable organization that we support is Clothes-to-Kid's in
Pinellas county. This organization was established by a retired school
teacher who realized the need that many local school children have for basic
clothing. Clothes-to-Kid's provides over 12,000 fully attired clothing outfits
for school children each year. Each child in the program can visit the store
twice a year and select five complete attired outfits in a organized department
store like setting. To hear the story of the young boy that came in with
his brother and sister and told the lady that they couldn't take anything home
because mommy and daddy couldn't pay for it. Or, the little girl that
passed up the trendy jacket for a bulky coat because they didn't have any heat
in their house - daddy had lost his job. These stories really wakes us up to the
reality that these aren't children in countries like Afghanistan or some other
third world country. No, these are American children right here in our
community who are in desperate need of basic clothing. Please visit
Clothes-to-Kid's website for more information about this organization.
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This Christmas, in addition to the above
charities, GWRRA Chapter FL1-M has joined with
Silas Dent's Steakhouse
on St. Petersburg Beach in an effort to obtain donations for "Support
our Troops" - a non-profit organization which is raising funds to
provide shipping expenses for items sent to our military personal
overseas. On
Saturday, December 17, our chapter displayed a number of
our illuminated motorcycles at the restaurant in order to show their
appreciation to those who have contributed to "Support our Troops" and
bring to the general public the need for donations.
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We are grateful that our lighted bikes have been
enjoyed by thousands of folks and are appreciative that many have been willing
to donate to the two charities that we support. Hopefully, our chapter's
tradition of displaying our lighted bikes will to continue so that we can continue
to
brighten the Christmas holidays.
Merry Christmas
this holiday season !
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