Thank you for visiting my fundraising site.

I first got involved with the Ride for Kids in 2004.  My wife was pregnant with our first child and with the prospect of being a first time dad I found myself thinking about things that previously had never crossed my mind.  They say having a child will change your life.  Truer words may never have been spoken.  I have been riding motorcycles for years and in 2004 I learned about a charity ride that was starting in Cary, NC and riding on down to a small town called Sanford.  It was the first year the Ride for kids had an event in my area.  What caught my attention at that time was that the charity benefited sick children.  I looked into it some more and learned all about the Ride for Kids and the PBTFUS.    For the first time I was able to put myself in the shoes of a parent and I thought what it might be like to learn that my child was seriously ill.  I hadn’t even met my daughter at this point as she was still six plus months away from being born, but the thought scared me more than a little.  I felt compelled to be involved and to help out.  That is the story of how I got involved with this charity.  I have since been blessed with two very happy and healthy children.  Ella is 3 now and my son Jake will be one year old in April.  I have been participating in the Ride for Kids every year since 2004 and in that 4 year span have raised over $2600.00, and $1400 of that was just last year.  My best year to date.  I hope to improve on that number this year and with your help I will .

The Ride for Kids is a fundraising organization that raises money specifically for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the United States which is a nonprofit organization devoted to research and treatment in the area of pediatric brain tumors.  The Ride for Kids organization is made up of motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the US.  They are headquartered in Asheville, NC.  They hold ride events all over the country throughout the year to raise money and awareness for this disease.  There are a lot of children in this country that are diagnosed with brain tumors every year.  No one yet knows exactly what causes these tumors in otherwise healthy kids.  I am sure you can imagine though what it must be like for a parent to hear a diagnosis like that for their little child.  It puts a huge emotional as well as financial burden on the families.  The Ride for Kids and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the US (PBTUS) are devoted to helping these families and these children.  The PBTFUS uses the money raised to do research for treatment and prevention of pediatric brain tumors as well as provide families coping with this disease with support.

Thank you so much for your support and your generous donation.

-Matthew