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Ride benefits Southmountain

Chris Jernigan, executive director of Southmountain, with Doris Eakes, president of Trinity Children Foundation during last year's event.

Staff reports

Published: June 4, 2009

NEBO - North Carolina's largest charity motorcycle ride, which benefits Southmountain Children and Family Services, is coming through Morganton.
For the past three years the Trinity Children Charity Ride and Raffle has served as Southmountain's biggest fundraiser, providing more than $25,000 last year alone.
The event also will benefit Boys and Girls Homes of NC in Lake Waccamaw, The Children's Home Inc. in Winston-Salem and The Carousel Center of Wilmington.
Nearly 100 motorcycles will depart from Maggie Valley on June 18 and overnight at the Quality Inn of Morganton after dinner with the children at Southmountain.
They will continue riding in a zigzag pattern across the state to raise funds for the four agencies and increase public awareness of child abuse.
The ride will conclude in Carolina Beach on the evening of June 20 with a bike rally and raffle drawing for four fabulous prizes including a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Tickets for the raffle are $20. The top prize is a 2009 Harley-Davidson Custom Deluxe Super Glide. Second prize is $1,000, third prize is his and her Harley-Davidson leather riding jackets and forth prize is $500. Tickets are available at The Grind Cafe in Morganton, the Glen Alpine Depot, Miss Emily's Thrift Store in Glen Alpine, Green's Cycle on N.C. 18 South, Fun Cycles in Valdese, directly from Southmountain or a Southmountain employee or Trustee. Additionally, you may purchase a ticket through Southmountain's Web site www.southmountain.org by downloading a form to mail or fax. And you can even pay with your credit or debit card by making a $20 donation on the site. You do not have to be present to win.
The annual motorcycle ride and raffle is sponsored and conducted by the Trinity Children Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports agencies who serve abused and neglected children in the state and around the world.
"This is one of the most fun times I have ever had on a bike," said Chris Jernigan, executive director of Southmountain who has ridden on every ride since the event began. Jernigan has been chosen to serve as ride captain to lead the group on the three-day adventure.
"The ride is extremely well-planned and safe," Jernigan said. "We have law enforcement escorts and ride marshals to block intersections and departments like Morganton Public Safety assist us through the towns. We don't have to stop for anything but gas and food and, by the way, that's covered in the entrance fee."
Jernigan explained that the entrance fee is $450 for the rider with an additional $75 if there is a passenger riding on the bike. The fee covers food, gas and motel rooms.
"That's less than any other three-day vacation and you're helping our kids at the same time," Jernigan said. "You just can't beat that if you like to ride."
For more information about the event, to sign up for the ride or to purchase a raffle ticket, visit www.southmountain.org or call 584-1105.