Area bikers are invited to rev their engines this weekend for a good cause.
The city of Hinesville will host its fourth annual Cycles for Charity ride, which includes the Mayors’ Christmas Motorcade, to benefit Georgia Regional Hospital patients who may not otherwise receive a gift this holiday season.
“Each year, participating Georgia mayors and their staffs visit the regional hospitals in their area to give gifts to the patients and share the holiday spirit,” said Niesha Williams, human resource specialist for the city of Hinesville.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, Mayor Jim Thomas will ride in a car that will lead the caravan of motorcycle riders on a 75-mile trek from the Liberty County Recreation Department’s Stafford Pavilion through Glennville and Jesup to Ludowici. The ride is expected to last about two hours.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. and riders are required to pay a $10 fee or donate a $10 unwrapped gift to participate in the event, Williams said.
The fee covers breakfast and lunch, which will be provided by sponsors who helped fund the charity event.
“I think it is a great thing for the community and for people in the motorcycle clubs to be involved in a charity event and give back to the community,” Thomas said.
All proceeds from on-site T-shirt sales and cash donations will go to the gift fund for patients at Georgia Regional Hospital, city public relations manager Krystal Britton said. Attendees can also expect music, door prizes and a 50/50 drawing throughout the day.
Gifts will be wrapped and presented during a Dec. 8 ceremony at Georgia Regional Hospital at Savannah, which will include a parade around the hospital, Britton said.
Anyone who wants to help but cannot make it to the event can drop unwrapped gifts off at the Hinesville Fire Department or the temporary city hall office on M.L. King Jr. Drive through Nov. 30.
The Georgia Municipal Association and then-Gov. Ernest Vandiver created the Mayors’ Christmas Motorcade in 1958 to help developmentally disabled hospital patients celebrate Christmas by providing each patient with a present, according to a city of Hinesville news release.
There are currently seven regional mental health hospitals in the state, serving some 3,200 Georgians.
Although the event is still relatively new to Hinesville, city officials expect it to improve with each year.
“We’re just happy doing it again and we hope each year it gets better and better,” Britton said. “These are our citizens who are sometimes overlooked and forgotten about and we just want to remember everyone.”
The city of Hinesville will host its fourth annual Cycles for Charity ride, which includes the Mayors’ Christmas Motorcade, to benefit Georgia Regional Hospital patients who may not otherwise receive a gift this holiday season.
“Each year, participating Georgia mayors and their staffs visit the regional hospitals in their area to give gifts to the patients and share the holiday spirit,” said Niesha Williams, human resource specialist for the city of Hinesville.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, Mayor Jim Thomas will ride in a car that will lead the caravan of motorcycle riders on a 75-mile trek from the Liberty County Recreation Department’s Stafford Pavilion through Glennville and Jesup to Ludowici. The ride is expected to last about two hours.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. and riders are required to pay a $10 fee or donate a $10 unwrapped gift to participate in the event, Williams said.
The fee covers breakfast and lunch, which will be provided by sponsors who helped fund the charity event.
“I think it is a great thing for the community and for people in the motorcycle clubs to be involved in a charity event and give back to the community,” Thomas said.
All proceeds from on-site T-shirt sales and cash donations will go to the gift fund for patients at Georgia Regional Hospital, city public relations manager Krystal Britton said. Attendees can also expect music, door prizes and a 50/50 drawing throughout the day.
Gifts will be wrapped and presented during a Dec. 8 ceremony at Georgia Regional Hospital at Savannah, which will include a parade around the hospital, Britton said.
Anyone who wants to help but cannot make it to the event can drop unwrapped gifts off at the Hinesville Fire Department or the temporary city hall office on M.L. King Jr. Drive through Nov. 30.
The Georgia Municipal Association and then-Gov. Ernest Vandiver created the Mayors’ Christmas Motorcade in 1958 to help developmentally disabled hospital patients celebrate Christmas by providing each patient with a present, according to a city of Hinesville news release.
There are currently seven regional mental health hospitals in the state, serving some 3,200 Georgians.
Although the event is still relatively new to Hinesville, city officials expect it to improve with each year.
“We’re just happy doing it again and we hope each year it gets better and better,” Britton said. “These are our citizens who are sometimes overlooked and forgotten about and we just want to remember everyone.”