The weather cooperated on Saturday, August 20, and the second annual Ride for Heroes motorcycle ride to benefit the Uniformed Services Program was another fabulous success! Led by retired Brattleboro Fire Chief Dave Emery, and with an escort from the Windham County Sheriff’s and Brattleboro Police Departments, 175 participants took a 55 mile ride through beautiful Windham County, with a brief pit-stop at the Grafton Fire Department. After returning to the Retreat campus, participants were treated to a great BBQ lunch from Sodexo and a festive raffle drawing. Both Rob Simpson and Tom Manning (from USP) addressed the crowd about the needs of uniformed professionals and the services here at the Retreat.
Riders came to this event from all over New England and beyond. There was even one individual who flew in from Minneapolis and rented a Harley Davidson to participate in the ride! And he came with a gift for the Retreat and USP: a custom made jumbo motorcycle patch commemorating 9/11 and honoring the first responders who perished in the attack. Also on hand at Saturday was a powerful display of a 170lb piece of twisted steel from Tower 1 at the World Trade Center that was brought to the event by the Brattleboro Fire Department – a very moving sight.
In the end, it was a terrific day for the Brattleboro Retreat and the Unformed Services Program. The event brought in more than $8,000 – the proceeds of which will assist USP clients that lack insurance coverage or have financial hardship. The Retreat has provided more than $150,000 in uncompensated care to USP clients since the program began. The event also provided excellent outreach to the veterans, police, fire, EMT and corrections communities for the Retreat. And on top of all that, folks had a lot of fun!
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