For all you riders who dislike Harley riders, some have a good side to them.
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More than 700 motorcyclists make annual Boggy Creek charity ride
By Anthony DeFeo
STAFF WRITER
Published: Sunday, October 7, 2012 at 5:29 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, October 7, 2012 at 5:29 p.m.
A deep-throated rumble filled the air Sunday morning as hundreds of motorcyclists rode from Destination Daytona and west across State Road 44 into Camp Boggy Creek for the 18th annual Bruce Rossmeyer's Ride for Children.
Escorted by a platoon of police officers, the bikers rode to raise money for the camp, which serves as a free retreat for seriously ill and disabled children. More than 700 of them made the trip — a noticeable increase from last year's event, which was hampered by rain.
But there was no such trouble with the weather this time around. The hordes of riders, volunteers, campers and their families had smiles on their faces during this warm, sunny October day.
The annual event has raised more than $4 million for the camp since it began in 1995. It also honors Bruce Rossmeyer, a major donor to Camp Boggy Creek and owner of some of the largest Harley-Davidson dealerships in the country, including Destination Daytona in northeastern Volusia County. He was killed on his way to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 2009.
Events included live and silent auctions, music and a lunch buffet donated by Outback Steakhouse. The grand marshal for this year's ride was actress Edie Falco, notable for her roles on the HBO series "The Sopranos" as well as the Showtime series "Nurse Jackie."
"It's been very inspiring to see how many people care about giving to those less fortunate," Falco said. "It's an incredible facility here and what they do for kids and their families is commendable, that they want to help change the lives of these kids and their families."
Event organizers won't know for a few days how much money they raised in total, but the live auction alone brought in more than $30,000. Each rider who signed up was also entered to win a brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycle, which was given away after the auction.
Members of Rossmeyer's family were on hand for Sunday's festivities. They each took the stage and expressed their gratitude for the bikers' generosity – each of whom paid $50 to participate in the ride.
Shelly Rossmeyer-Pepe, daughter of Bruce Rossmeyer, said that Sunday "couldn't have been better" and her father would have been proud.
"He loved this event and he loved the support that he saw year after year," she said. "He wanted to do something where he could see a difference. This gave him an opportunity to start something, watch it go and see it pay off."
Two of the bikers who made the trip Sunday morning were Daytona Beach residents Charles McFarlane and Sharon O'Connor.
"I think it's great," said McFarlane. "It's the second year we're doing it, and it's bigger than last year."
"It's all about the kids," O'Connor added.
Sunday's event was sponsored by a laundry list of companies from around the Daytona Beach area, including The News-Journal.
Camp Boggy Creek – located about 20 minutes southwest of DeLand, near the town of Eustis — is one of several camps for disabled children founded by the late actor Paul Newman.
Children dealing with many different types of serious illnesses and disabilities can come to the camp free of charge to have fun and experience many of the same activities that any other kid would at camp. Campers are broken up into different groups by condition, so they're with children who are sharing many of the same struggles.
There's a zero-height pool, so those in wheelchairs can roll right in. There's a rope course, a lake for fishing, an arts and craft studio and even a mini-golf course. Activities are plentiful.
The camp employs several doctors, in addition to a staff of specialized nurses, lifeguards and dozens of volunteers with medical training. Kids and their families come from every corner of the state, either for a weekend of fun or for an entire week during the summer. And the staff makes every effort, sometimes even improvising solutions, to make sure a child's disability never stops them from doing what they'd like to do.
Chance and Abby Nye, ages 15 and 12, participate in Boggy Creek's immunology camp. Their parents, Steve and Destiny Masters, love being involved in the camp and are grateful for the opportunity it gives their children. The family comes from Tampa to attend the camp.
"It's great. They can be themselves, they can be around other kids they're sharing the same challenges and struggles with" said Destiny Masters. "And it's all about them. They don't have any worries."
8-year-old Aubrey Allen, who lives with spina bifida, celebrated her birthday Sunday. Both she and her parents, Rebecca and Mike Allen, who came to the camp from Gainesville, had only high praise for Boggy Creek.
"Boggy Creek's been fantastic to us. We've come to two of the family weekends here," said Mike Allen. "To have the opportunity to have families that have children with the same kind of medical issues, we get to meet all of these parents and see what they're going through."
"And the kids have a blast," he said. "It's really a good thing for the whole family."