If you have already recieved this email, thank you for your patience. There is some updated information in the schedule. Also for the
first time ever I would like to try and get an idea of how many people will be on the ride. If you would please reply to me with yes or no. Yes being I want to and plan to , no being you already know you will not be there.
Please pass this along to anyone that might have some interest.
Sunshine Kids is an organization dedicated to allowing kids with life threatening illness a chance to be a kid again. They do this with volunteers and donations. SSK has nine national trips each year, one of those trips is the Texas Hill Country Adventure. The kids will be arriving here in San marcos beginning June 2 and will be here till June 8 Each day they are here they have a planned activity . I am not sure of the exact schedule because I am only involved with Saturday the 7th but in past years it has been one day at Sea World, one day at Schlitterbahn, a ride to the State Capitol in exotic cars, a day at Texas State camp on the Blanco River, a day on the San marcos River. The last Saturday they are here we give them a law enforcement escorted motorcycle ride. I have been told that this is the most popular event of the trip. I can also tell you from experience that this is the most moving event I have ever been a part of. Each year we get kids from all over the country , they come in groups of four with a maximum of 32 kids. The kids are nominated for the trip by Doctors, usually after a grueling treatment schedule. Hospitals from around the country sponsor groups of four kids, with that group they send at least one nurse. So with staff, kids and medical people the trip could include up to 45 people. Usually and unfortunatly as the trip date gets closer some of the kids get sick again and cannot make the trip. so we usually have 24 or 28 kids and their support. On arrival day these kids come in and really dont know their fellow trippers, so they are a little quiet, a little shy, and a little reserved. I think this is because they are used to being a little different than the kids they are normally with. Different because they usually do not have any hair, a little pail because they have not been outside much, a little thin because they just have not had an appetite. Different for no fault of their own. By the time Saturday comes around they have discovered that they are not different they are just kids. Kids that are ready to go for a motorcycle ride. I have been doing this for 14 years and I still get emotional just thinking about it. The fact that I have a chance to put a smile on the face of a kid is great, but to see that smile is just fantastic.
I have learned that the hospitals that have committed are from the cities of : Chicago, Philadelphia,Durham NC,Orlando,Charlotte NC,
Palo Alto and Las Vegas.
We will need a minimum of 30 bikes available to carry a passenger, kids first then medical personnel , then staff. But we encourage people to show up even if they cannot ,or do not want to carry a passenger. The more bikes we have the more exiting it is for the kids. I ask for anyone carrying a passenger to have a passenger back rest, I also ask for anyone with extra helmets to bring them , we do want all the kids to wear a helmet. The schedule is as follows.
Dicks Classic Garage will open for us at 9am
I would like all bikes to be there by 9:30 am
We will have a short safety briefing at 9:45
At 10 am we will go to the kids at their hotel.
Departure will be after kids have selected the bike they would like to ride and are staged.
We will take about a 45 minute ride and end at San Marcos BBQ on Hunter road. All are encouraged to hang out with the kids for a little while and maybe eat a little lunch. The two rules for joining the kids for lunch are: 1 let the kids and staff go through the line first. And 2 You will be responsible for your own lunch. San Marcos BBQ is helping out tremendously by feeding the kids and staff. It would help if you support SMBBQ with your patronage.
If you have any more questions please let me know. You can also go to
www.sunhinekids.org for more information about the
Sunshine Kids Foundation.
You can also get information about Dicks Classic Garage at
www.dicksclassicgarage.com The Sunshine Kids Ride will be on Saturday JUNE 7 , 2014 ..... I was thinking of everybody meeting up on I-35 North at the Buckee's Gas Stop on Fm. 306 around 8:30 am and leaving around 8:45 and then ride out towards San Marcos to meet up with the other riders at the car museum .... We'll be getting off at the Wonder World exit off I-35 North .... If you look at the Dick's Classic web site , it has a real easy map to follow how to get to Dick's Classic Museum .... This was the way we did it the last time we all got together .... Soooo if your interested PLEASE LET US KNOW , so we can have a head count on who wants to go , so we don't take off without you !!!!! .... Thanks the Geezer
