Lemonade stand helps raise $600 for veterans…
Lemonade stand helps raise $600 for veterans groups during charity motorcycle ride
Dearborn Heights Police Chief Jerrod Hart (left) and Mayor Bill Bazzi stand with 6-year-old Ayila at her lemonade stand. (Photo courtesy of Dearborn Heights Rotary Club)
By Dave Herndon | dherndon@medianewsgroup.com | Press and Guide
PUBLISHED: July 11, 2022 at 2:24 p.m. | UPDATED: July 27, 2022 at 10:50 a.m.
6-year-old Ayila hosted a lemonade stand during the annual Wounded America Motorcycle Ride July 9.
Motorcyles on the road during the ride. (Photo courtesy of Dearborn Heights Rotary Club)
During that event she raised $591 that was added to the funds raised by the ride and donated to the Wyandotte-based Downriver For Veterans, which supports veterans in 23 communities, and Foundation 14 in Milan.
Foundation 14's mission is to help combat veterans to enjoy the freedom of riding. Both are 501(c)(3) organizations and will receive 100% of the money raised from the event, organizers said.
Motorcycles turn into Motor City Harley Davidson in Taylor at the end of the Wounded America Motorcycle Ride.
The ride is sponsored by the Rotary clubs of Dearborn Heights, Grosse Ile, Southgate, Taylor, and Trenton, in partnership with Motown Harley Davidson ("Biker Bob's") in Taylor and Motown HOG Chapter No. 4375.
Event organizers hope to raise $30,000, according to Dearborn Heights Rotarian Lynne Killion. The final total raised in 2022 wasn't yet known at press time for this article.
Donations are presented at the end of the Wounded America Motorcycle Ride. (Photo courtesy of Dearborn Heights Rotary Club)
Spicing up this year's event was the "Mayor's Challenge," a friendly competition among Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi and several of his counterparts to raise as much money as possible in their respective cities for those they hold dear.
"Our veterans have sacrificed so much to defend the freedoms and liberties we enjoy here in Dearborn Heights and across the country, and it is important for us to take every opportunity to show support and thank them for their service," said Bazzi, a 21-year Marine Corps veteran. "The Wounded America Motorcycle Ride and the organizations which benefit from it do an outstanding job of raising awareness of their sacrifices and needs. I invite everyone to join me and our Dearborn Heights Rotarians on the 9th to salute our brave men and women in uniform."
Motorcycles on the road during the ride. (Photo courtesy of Dearborn Heights Rotary Club)
Dave Herndon | Multimedia Journalist
Dave Herndon is a multimedia journalist with MediaNews Group, covering the Dearborn area for The Press and Guide. He started with the company in 2009, and has worked at several of their publications, covering everything from high school sports to government, and just about everything in between. He's been a journalist since 2001, and also has worked in radio and television. In his spare time, he has authored comic books and works on various anthology books both fiction and non-fiction.
dherndon@medianewsgroup.com
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