"I'm like everybody
else, and I thought, 'What can I do to help?' " one organizer said.
By
Howard Clark never went to
Virginia Tech. In fact, outside of being a taxpayer in the commonwealth of Virginia,
he has no affiliation with the institution at all.
And yet -- in just over a
week's time -- Clark hopes to roll into Blacksburg
and present the university with a check for several thousand dollars.
Clark and his organization,
the American Road Motorcycle Riding Club, are sponsoring a ride to benefit the
Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund and hope to see throngs of orange and maroon-clad
Harley-Davidsons invade Blacksburg
on June 2.
"I'm like everybody
else, and I thought, 'What can I do to help?' " Clark
said.
With each rider donating at
least $20, Clark hopes to raise awareness and
raise money to aid in the building of a monument for the victims.
"It took Columbine 12
years to get a memorial erected," Clark said of the tragedy at the Colorado high school.
"Virginia Tech shouldn't have to wait that long."
In his hometown of
Rappahannock, where the ride will begin, Clark
has already secured three large parking lots for staging the event.
"We could fit 100,000
bikes in those. I'd like to see them all full."
The 47-year-old hopes to
fill the lots by promoting the event at Rolling Thunder XX, which will take
place this weekend in Washington, D.C. Clark has printed
fliers about the ride and will pass them out to the droves of motorcyclists who
will descend on the Vietnam War Memorial. More than a half-million riders
attended Rolling Thunder last year, and with only 2,000 fliers at his disposal Clark hopes his message will spread by word of mouth.
Clark may receive support from a group of
fellow Virginians there. The United Auto Workers Veterans Committee based in
Dublin is sponsoring its 16th annual Ride for Freedom, and this time not only
does it plan to honor prisoners of the Vietnam War, but it will also ride in
remembrance of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings.
"I live in
Christiansburg, and we feel like we're part of the Virginia Tech
community," chairman Mark Peterson said.
He said the group will host
a memorial ceremony Saturday morning in Dublin to commemorate both fallen
soldiers and Tech students, especially Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets member
Matthew La Porte, whom Peterson believes may help bridge the gap between
veterans and victims.
Bill Stringer, deputy commandant
of the Corps of Cadets, will give the keynote address at the ceremony.
Peterson said the group
hopes to attract more than 200 bikers for the ride.
As the UAW organized its
event this week, Clark took the trip down
Interstate 81 to scope out the route with his girlfriend. On the way he stopped
off in Raphine, where several gas station owners agreed to shut down pumps
until the motorcade arrived, ensuring enough fuel to complete the 180-mile
journey. In Blacksburg, Clark
secured a donation from a downtown restaurant. The Cellar has promised to give
some of its June 2 proceeds to the memorial fund, owner Kevin Long said.
"We've been getting
unbelievable support from communities everywhere," Clark
said.
Almost equally impressive
has been the response from the motorcycle community, Clark said. Riders from
across the region have expressed interest and support for the ride.
"Motorcyclists are the
biggest group of people I know," Clark
said. "They are pretty good at getting together for charitable events like
this."
