Kids with brain tumors got a big boost over the weekend from several hundred of their closest friends–motorcyclists in New England and Salt Lake City. Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF) Ride for Kids® events in these areas on Aug. 20 raised more than $87,000 for family support programs and medical research. New England Rallies In Rain Torrential rains in North Oxford, Mass., didn’t stop 200 people from turning up for the ninth annual New England event. The riders followed their police escort over back country roads, past lush green fields and through quaint towns, arriving with the sun at Mount Holyoke College. There the motorcyclists joined a moving Celebration of Life program with three local brain tumor survivors. Ralph, the father of 6-year-old Ryen, thanked the crowd for coming and said that every year felt like a “family reunion.” Dr. Nicole Ulrich, a neuro-oncologist with Children’s Hospital in Boston, told the participants, “PBTF is a tremendous asset to families afflicted by this terrible disease. Every year I’m more and more impressed with the grassroots fundraising all of you do.” The total raised in New England was $62,404. Top individual fundraiser honors went to Dave Odess and Perry Robertson of Randolph, Mass., who raised $9,000. The top club, GWRRA MA Chapter W from Whitinsville, turned in $12,065, and the customers of Venco Wings of Loudon, N.H., brought $11,176 to make it the top motorcycle business. Bill Hahn of Stafford Springs, Conn., won the grand prize, a brand-new Honda motorcycle. Special thanks went to New England Ride for Kids® task force leaders Shirley and Wayne Anderson, visitation leader Dave Odess, the hardworking task force members and day-of-event volunteers, for hosting a great event. Salt Lake City Shines The skies were perfectly clear for Salt Lake City’s second annual Ride for Kids®, which attracted 190 participants. The motorcyclists left This Is the Place Heritage Park on a police-escorted tour through the majestic Wasatch Mountains with a spectacular view of the East Canyon Reservoir. On the broad green lawn of Riverside Park in Morgan City, three local brain tumor survivors were honored during the Celebration of Life program. Said PBTF scholarship recipient Lindsey, 20, “Going to college would have been impossible without the scholarship help I’m receiving from the PBTF. You are helping me pursue my dream.” The local medical community was represented by Dr. Daniel Fults, professor of neurosurgery with the Univ. of Nevada School of Medicine in Salt Lake City. “Being here today reminds me that treatments really are successful,” he told the crowd. “I’m proud to be part of the nationwide search for a cure.” The total raised in Salt Lake City was $24,662. Top individual fundraisers were Donna and Walter Young of Elko, Nev., who raised $5,113. The top club was GWRRA NV Chapter H, whose members brought $5,418. The customers of Beehive Motorcycle Accessories of Salt Lake City raised $6,893 to make it the top motorcycle business. Donna Young won the grand prize, a brand-new Honda motorcycle. Special thanks went to Salt Lake City’s task force leaders Shelley and Spero Politis and Chuck Packard, the dedicated task force members and day-of-event volunteers, for organizing this event. About the PBTF Ride for Kids® Since 1984, the national Ride for Kids® program and PBTF have promoted childhood brain tumor research and provided family support through free literature about brain tumors, educational newsletters, online conferences and college scholarships. With the help of America’s motorcyclists and motorcycle dealers, the PBTF has become the world’s largest non-governmental source of funding for childhood brain tumor research. The next PBTF Ride for Kids® events are Sunday, Aug. 27 in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Asheville, N.C. For more information, go to www.rideforkids.org or call 800-253-6530.