Thousands of motorcyclists are set to ride from Elburn to Batavia in an effort to provide toys and food to local people in need.
Taking place Oct. 9, the 30th anniversary DuKane ABATE Toy and Food Run will culminate at the Batavia Veterans of Foreign Wars post with a party for both riders and nonriders that will include 70 vendor booths, eight food stands and seven bands.
Bikers Against Child Abuse, a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 in Utah and is now an international organization, will be among more than 18 local organizations receiving donations of food and toys to help those in need. Other nonprofits receiving food and toys include St. Vincent’s Food Pantry, Fox Valley Christian Action and the Humanitarian Service Project.
With elections around the corner, DuKane ABATE anticipates many candidates will attend the post-ride party, said Judy Kaenel, president of the DuKane Chapter of ABATE.
The post-race party also will serve to bring attention to issues within the motorcyclist community, she said. Each year, the event includes an in-memoriam banner with a list of the names of motorcyclists who died over the past year.
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“This year’s banner includes approximately 20 names, and most were killed while riding,” Kaenel said.
Many of these deaths occurred in the early part of motorcycle riding season, Kaenel said. In July alone, she said, seven motorcyclists were killed in Kane County.
Kaenel has committed her winter months to working with local government officials as well as other community-based organizations to draw awareness to the number of motorcyclists who die on the roads each year.
For the first time, some members taking part in the food run also will participate in the pushup challenge to raise awareness about suicide among veterans.
A very large number of motorcyclists are veterans, Kaenel said.
“This is such a serious issue,” she said.
Each day, it is estimated that 22 veterans commit suicide, Kaenel said. This issue is especially important to Kaenal, who said her son suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He was in the military and severely injured in a training mission, she said.
“We are going to be filming these bikers doing pushups in front of the main stage,” Kaenel said. “Our hope is that this will bring some awareness to the issue and be a nice addition to our flag line to honor our veterans.”
Cathy Janek is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News