Deserving foster children in Liberty and Chambers counties will benefit from a fundraiser recently hosted by the San Jacinto High Rollers – Hardin Chapter.
The bikers who make up the chapter held Kickstands Up For Kids, a motorcycle ride and auction that brought in $2,624 for the Liberty County Child Welfare Board, an auxiliary board for Children’s Protective Services. All proceeds will go toward purchasing necessary items or paying tutoring fees for the foster children of the two counties. The check was presented Oct. 13 to Cyndie Abshire, LCCWB spokesperson.
“This is our second year of doing this fundraiser and it’s going to be an annual thing from here on out,” said Shaun Craftsman, spokesperson for the San Jacinto High Rollers – Hardin Chapter. “There are a lot of foster kids in the system. They need to feel like people care about them. They need to know people care. They need clothing and things when they are brought into the Rainbow Room, things they can call their own.”
The Rainbow Room is where items are stored for children involved in emergency removals from their homes. Children receive items they need as they transition into foster care, such as diapers, formula, clothing, shoes and car seats.
According to Craftsman, 40 motorcyclists participated in this year’s ride, up from 32 last year. When they returned to their headquarters in Dayton, the bikers were joined by roughly 60 other people for an auction. Food was also sold with proceeds going toward the fundraiser.
Abshire explained that donations not only go toward the Rainbow Room, they also allow foster children to participate in extracurricular activities such as band and cheerleading.
“We want the foster kids to feel like they can do things just like other kids,” Abshire said. “We ask foster parents to give us a direction of how we can help the child.”
Abshire expressed her gratitude for the SJHR-HC motorcyclists for their generosity toward foster children.
“On behalf of the LCCWB, we appreciate the efforts of the San Jacinto High Rollers – Hardin Chapter. They’ve had hearts for our kids for many years. This isn’t the first time we’ve partnered with them on their projects to support children,” she said.
By Vanesa Brashier, editor@bluebonnetnews.com