Bikers ride out to fight cancer
LYNDORA — The sunny weather and a chance to do some good brought hundreds of motorcyclists to the parking lot of Sherwood Lanes, 11 Lyn-Mar Plaza, Saturday for the 10th annual Riding For The Cure motorcycle ride.
The event raises money for cancer patients, said Lynda Kerr, of Summit Township, who founded the event with her husband, Ned, when their friend Deb Bell was diagnosed with breast cancer 10 years ago.
“She's still with us,” said Lynda Kerr, but despite having medical benefits, her treatment left her with “pennies in the checking account.”
“We put our heads together and decided we wanted to help the community,” she said.In the previous nine years, the event has raised $316,000, which went to Butler Memorial Hospital and the Richard G. Laube Cancer Center in Kittanning to help cancer patients with treatment and living expenses.“We are a breast cancer ride, but financially we help all cancer patients,” Kerr said.For Frank Menchyk of Connoquenessing, who was manning the table selling raffle tickets to win a cornhole game, the event was personal.He said his wife, Breeze, had recently been diagnosed with liver cancer after beating a previous bout with breast cancer.“She's doing really well through treatment,” Menchyk said. He and his wife were going to participate in the ride on their Ultra Classic Limited Harley-Davidson Trike.Anthony and Katie Spare of Butler also had a personal connection to the goal of raising money for cancer patients. Anthony Spare's mother passed away from breast cancer.
“It's for a good cause,” Anthony Spare said. “You couldn't ask for better weather.”Although, it was their first time participating in the Riding For The Cure event, the Spares planned to complete the nearly 130-mile trip and arrive at the end at the Beergarden, 2399 Oneida Valley Road, Petrolia.Debbie Miller of Butler didn't participate in the ride this year. That's because she was manning the T-shirt table in the Sherwood Lanes parking lot. After the riders drive left, she packed up the leftover T-shirts, hats, beer cozies and headbands. Sales, she said, were brisk.“This is all about helping people who can't work or who can't afford treatment. We're just about helping them,” she said.Trent Slater of Butler was the road captain for this year's event.“I organize the route and make sure of the roads,” he said of the route that would take the riders through downtown Butler, over to Ford City, then to Leechburg, Chicora, Petrolia and Bruin before the final stop at the Beergarden. His 2019 Ultra Limited Harley-Davidson was freshly painted with a pink ribbon and the Riding For The Cure logo.Lynda Kerr was pleased with the turnout and the weather for this year's event. She said the first year 160 people turned out in the rain. “We raised $6,500, and we were ecstatic,” she said.
