Daytona Bike Week: Charity Road Report

When bikers converge on Daytona Beach to celebrate the 70^th Daytona Bike Week, March 4 to 13, 2011, they will also have the opportunity to help feed needy children by way of a donation or the purchase of a T-shirt, with all proceeds going to the Bread of Life Pantry & Back Pack Program.

The Florida-based Rider NOW magazine will be selling the T-shirts and collecting donations at their booth, directly in front of the Boot Hill Saloon on Main Street, Daytona Beach.

Click the image to enlarge for details.

We are all acutely aware that it’s a tough economy for everyone, however those who depend on the kindness and generosity of others feel the pinch even more. This past year, the Marine’s Toys for Tots program distributed a record number of toys to needy children across the nation, thanks in part to the continued support of bikers who participated in toy runs in spite of their own personal financial troubles.

Here's a Charity Road Report from Johnny Lange of Strip Club Choppers, who had the opportunity to help with three charity events over the past few months in Florida.

"Although the SCC Tour wasn’t on the road very much from November to February, we didn’t allow that to freeze over the spirit of bikers giving back to the community. During these frigid months SCC was fortunate to be involved in three charity events.

Rider Now magazine asked us to participate in a food drive for a church in Ocala Florida. Val, the magazine editor, donated a bunch of food and we donated clothing and parts to be auctioned off as well as participating in a photo shoot that graced the cover of the magazine.

The second charitable event was unplanned, two police officers were killed in St Petersburg Florida in January and when Johnny worked for the Department of Juvenile Justice years ago (who would have guessed that one) he worked closely with this department. The Full Throttle Bike Builders Invitational in Clearwater Florida turned into an informal fundraiser for those fallen officers and the biker community rallied on the spur of the moment to raise almost 70k!

The third charity that caught our attention was for a one-year-old girl named Victoria with acute leukemia. My friend Aaron Blowout Morrow, the stereo typical big bad ass biker, and we mean big, took pledges for every pound he could lose, this just might cure cancer altogether, way to go Aaron. You can find additional info at Victoriasvoyage.com.

I guess the bottom line is no matter how tough the biker community may seem on the outside, we have a heart the size of a V-twin on the inside. It has been said about our culture that we are the first to support a good cause and the first to step up and protect our country. It’s 100% true. Even though times are tough and many of us can’t afford to donate monetarily we can give our time through volunteering, product donations or even weight loss, go figure, hey A+ for creativity.

The weather is clearing; the sun is starting to shine on the open road and the 2011riding season is upon us. Come by and see us from March 4th to the 13th in Daytona at the Hang Dawg Saloon right across from the Iron Horse Saloon on US1. And for you guys planning your year in advance here are some other events we will be at so far: Thunder in the Hill Country, Bandera Texas, March 31- April 3 and the Carts, Bikers and Babes Rally, April 8-10, in Somerville Texas. For additional info visit www.stripclubchoppers.com