None — Windjammers Motorcycle Club was organized in 1971 with 13 charter members. Today three of those men still ride with the club which has grown to 34 members. What started out as a group of men who loved to ride their motorcycles and who wanted to have a family activity for their children to enjoy, has grown into a group who spend all year-long organizing activities to raise money for Ride for the Children where they deliver Christmas presents and a monetary gift to Children's Homes of Cleveland County (CHCC).
It was their third year when the Christmas ride began to visit CHCC and 2010 will be the twentieth year the Windjammers and friends have come to the group home to bring gifts for children in foster care. From bringing nine blankets for twin beds the first year, to bringing gifts that filled a U-Haul truck in 2009 the event has grown! Good weather brings out more than 1000 riders and that many more spectators. Neither wind, nor sleet, nor snow could stop a group of 250 motorcyclists from making the ride last year! It was cold and the parking area and steps of the home had to be cleaned of snow, by the club members, for everyone to walk in but the atmosphere was warm and filled with a true compassion for children.
At first all of the rides were about giving gifts for the sixteen kids who were residents at CHCC and fulfilling needs for the agency, like purchasing a new refrigerator. But soon the ride was so large that there were enough toys to give to the 200 kids in foster-care in Cleveland County and a monetary gift was given to Children's Homes. To-date, more than $400,000 has been donated by the Windjammers and their friends to clothe the boys and girls at CHCC, to purchase their class rings, their school yearbooks, to provide summer activities, including vacations, and to say to these young people "we care." In fact, it is more than a Christmas ride, there are other times the Windjammers invite the boys and girls to attend fun events and spend time together. The Windjammers have made a true commitment to children.
This ride is supported by the community and other motorcycle clubs. One of the lessons taught to our citizens is that bikers have big hearts, are hard working men and women who can, and do, give back to their community. The members of the Windjammers view children as important assets and the future of our community. Their reward is talking with one of the children whose life they have touched, who is now an adult and can express their appreciation. Just a few years back one of the boys who had been given a Christmas toy at the Ride for the Children years ago joined the club members to bring toys to the current residents. The club members had made a difference in his life and that's what makes it all worth the effort.
WSOC
