Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/520905
VOL. 52 ISSUE 22 JUNE 2, 2015 P173 people out there, the ones who seem to only care about them- selves and what's in it for them, what if they somehow learned that by doing things for others they could actually satisfy their own selfish need to feel good? It could actually change the world, right? Just a thought. Some people are just flat-out wonderful humans and our mo- torcycle industry is full of them. For the past 12 years, I've put on a charity event at Loma Linda Children's Hospital that starts with a freestyle jump demo and ends with a bunch of riders and industry folks touring the hospital and doling out swag to the kids, their families and the hospital staff. Since the very first event, Mitch Payton (Pro Circuit) and Troy Lee (Troy Lee Designs) have been on board, donating bean- ies, clothing and tons of swag. I've known both of these guys for most of my life and I have no idea if either of them like kids, or if they even like me, for that mat- ter! But I know that I appreciate them, the kids appreciate them and Mitch and Troy have to feel good about giving back to the community. Mike and Amy Koger of Smooth Industries sell moto- cross themed clothing, bed- ding, accessories and anything that a moto kid could want in their bedroom. They have never missed an event, it's the high- light of their year. Feld Entertain- ment, the Supercross promot- ers, have donated thousands of dollars, hundreds of shirts and hundreds of tickets to the Kid's Fair—Dave Prater may just be the coolest person I know. Ward Bassett, whose dad sponsored my arch-nemesis, Rex Staten, back in the day, showed up at the event this year with a check for $5,000 that he donated. We put half towards our Marty Moates Shining Star Fund and the other half towards their cystic fibrosis program, in honor of Broc Glover's son, Dayne, who is fighting for his life every day against this horrible disease. Maybe Ward is the coolest per- son I know. Or maybe it's Sheri Ridenour of TLD, who filled my Expedition with so much stuff for the kids that I couldn't see out the back window, or Ed Wilson of Fire & Police MX, who uses the money he makes from his races, along with donations from other cops and firemen, to buy gifts from the kid's wish list each year. For 10 years Jeff Tilton brought his ramps and the world's best FMX riders to put on a show for the kids. The names of the riders who have come out for the kids is too long to list, as is the list of companies who have been so generous through the years. Motorcyclists are good people and we share something that binds us to each other. Yester- day, I joined 700 other folks at Tom White's First Annual Bikes and Burgers charity event. Tom opened up his world famous motocross museum and gor- geous home to the motorcycling community to raise money for the High Hopes Head Injury Program, a cause that is dear to his heart. Tom's son, Brad, has benefitted from the program in the years since suffering a traumatic brain injury. It was an unbelievable turnout that raised a nice chunk of cash for a great cause. If you would like to feel the endorphin rush of giving, I know of a couple of easy ways to get started. You can donate to Broc Glover's campaign to find a cure for the disease that is killing his son, Dayne, right here: http:// fightcf.cff.org/goto/teamday- negerous. Any amount will help, no matter how small or how large—I promise you that you will feel good about it. You can contribute to the High Hopes Head Injury Program by clicking here, http://www.high- hopes.ws, they do great things there for people just like us— head injuries change the lives of everyday folks in an instant. Or you can help out the Big Air Kid's Fair by clicking on this link, https://advancement. lluhealth.org/bigair. There you go, your own personal starter kit to changing the world. Try it, it's contagious. Thanks!