Bikers ride to raise funds for charity event
Published 3:32 pm Monday, October 31, 2022
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Star Photo/Danielle Morin Bikers come together to help raise money for Carter County’s upcoming Shop with a Cop event in December.
Star Photo/Danielle Morin Motorcyclists gathered at the Elizabethton Walmart on Saturday to raise money for an upcoming charity event.
Star Photo/Danielle Morin Motorcycles are parked at the Elizabethton Walmart waiting to raise money for the upcoming Shop with a Cop event.
Star Photo/Danielle Morin The bikes are shined up and ready to go on the bike ride.
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By Danielle Morin
Elizabethton Star
Motorcyclists gathered at the Elizabethton Walmart on Saturday to raise money for an upcoming charity event.
Engines revved in unison as bikers from the area met in the parking lot to socialize and eat some morning snacks before collectively riding the streets of Elizabethton in what is called a “bike run.” The run was held to raise money for Carter County’s upcoming Shop with a Cop event in December. The event pairs those less fortunate children with a local police officer to pick out toys or other necessities for themselves that they may otherwise not have the privilege of receiving during the Christmas season.
Event planners Joe Holsclaw and Doug Combs arranged the ride, asking anyone who wanted to participate to provide an unspecified donation amount. The ride fee donations went strictly towards the Shop with a Cop fundraiser. Holsclaw said they would also make stops throughout the ride offering raffle prizes and other door prizes to encourage community members to donate to the cause as well.
For those men and women who love to ride, the opportunity was a no-brainer, explained Chris Andes, a motorcyclist who joined the event. “The biker community, they show up for anything like this. It’s just a reason — they like to ride anyway, so when there’s a donation or anything like that, the biker community shows up really well for fundraisers and things like that,” Andes said.
“We all share that common interest, liking to ride motorcycles, so we get together and do the rides and make it worthwhile,” Holsclaw added. But “worthwhile” may be an understatement. The last bike run fundraiser the group organized was able to successfully raise $25,000 for a local child in need.
Elizabethton has seen its fair share of bike run fundraisers, but this was the first one the group has done for the Shop with a Cop program. Holsclaw, a police officer himself, said he really believes in the program’s cause and is intent on making the Shop with a Cop bike run an annual event going forward. But Holsclaw does not think that will be a problem, saying about his fellow motorcyclists, “The biker community is a really giving community. They are the family you never had to have.”
