B-N.C – A long parade of motorcyclists came from far and near to visit West Tennessee hospitals in support of the health care workers on Tuesday.
Amanda Thompson, a motorcyclist and the organizer of the event, called a few friends and created a network of people from all over Tennessee and Mississippi to donate food, money and to ride to Jackson-Madison General Hospital and Henderson County Community Hospital to show their support and rev their engines in front of the hospitals.
“We’re putting on a ride to show all front line workers, nurses, doctors, EMTs, all of our love and support because we know it’s been hard these past few weeks.” Thompson said. “We are feeding the doctors and nurses.”
More than 200 bikers met up at Bumpus Harley-Davidson of Jackson. Thompson greeted everyone and handed out red tickets to play a raffle game after the show ride to the hospitals.
Motorcyclist groups such as One Wheel Motion and Next Level from Ripley, Live and Legends from Dyersburg, and a group of others rode united to the hospital, with Thompson as the lead, and stopped in front of the hospitals and revved their engines while waving to the nurses, doctors, patients and visitors in the parking lot.
The health care workers pulled out their phones and waved back to the motorcyclists, who donated food from Big Cats, Little Caesars and Leonard’s restaurant.
“I appreciate everybody coming out and helping me put this together.” Thompson said.
Shaun Bonds, the president of One Wheel Motion, heard about the get together Thompson was organizing and wanted to bring his friends to show his support to the front-line workers. Bonds felt a bit emotional when seeing everyone come together.
“It feels wonderful,” Bonds said. “We do what we need to do to try and help out … we got people who are putting their life on the line and then you out here trying to show their support, it’s just a good thing.”
Since the stay-at-home order, the bikers don’t gather together as often as they once did. but a few of them, such as Aleena Locke, said it felt great seeing each other again and coming together for a good cause.
Locke is from Trimble, Tennessee, who rode out with her husband, Tracy Locke, and said felt wonderful after waving to everyone at the hospital.
“I almost cried, my mother and father just got out of the hospital not too long ago.” Locke said. Although her parents weren’t in the hospital for the coronavirus, she still understood what family members of COVID19 patients might have to go through.
Locke’s parents are riders as well and ride to donate money to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Since they couldn’t make the ride this time, Locke made the ride for them.
“This is my first time and I would gladly do it again.” Locke said. “It’s for a worthy cause and everybody really appreciates it.”
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Source: Jackson Sun