To the Editor:

The sun was shining on Saturday, July 28 for the riders and passengers on 240 motorcycles riding in the 13th Annual Motorcycle Run to benefit Hospice & Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley. Organized again by Roger and Linda Willmart and their family and friends, this year’s event was another great one. With help from many individuals and businesses, the ride raised $5,702. Proceeds will help Hospice staff provide end of life care for patients in St. Lawrence County and their families. The Willmart’s event has raised over $55,000 for Hospice over the last thirteen years.

Special thanks to Porky and Linda Willmart for spending countless hours organizing the event and collecting donations and raffle prizes. Hospice extends its deepest thanks and gratitude to the Willmarts for their dedication to helping seriously ill patients in our community.

We thank the members of the Moose Club Lodge for hosting the start of the run and the dinner afterward.

Thanks also to the many volunteers who helped the event run smoothly including Kevin, Brian and Scott Willmart who registered riders; Eugene and Neika Mayo who sold tee shirts and 50/50 tickets; Dennis and Priscilla Tebo who organized the poker hands; Neil Willmart and Mark Collins who cooked the turkey and roast beef dinner; Tom and Heidi Fenner, Linda Willmart for doing a great job setting up and cleaning up; Tanya Delosh who helped with everything; The Shamans Motorcycle Club whose members are EMT’s and added depth to the safety team; ARAMARK at Clarkson for providing the baked beans; Paces at SUNY Potsdam for providing salads; Ed Lafay of Potsdam who helped with transportation and planning; Mary Davidson who donated safety items; and the Parishville Ladies Auxilliary who brought coffee.

This year’s raffle was a big success with prizes donated by businesses throughout the community. Hospice’s sincere thanks go to the many businesses, individuals and organizations that donated raffle prizes and cash donations.

Most of all, we thank the many motorcycle riders and passengers whose participation and generosity makes this important event

Brian Gardam, Hospice and Palliative Care