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BikerDown

Motorcycle Riders Will Be Forever #BikerStrong

April 5, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

Laurie Montoya, Publisher

1 year ago, we were all living in a different space with COVID shutting all our lives down.  COVID was peaking and our national and local government’s initiated mandatory shutdowns in the hopes that the shutdown would stop the spread.

I am happy to report that while many businesses have closed or will never re-open, our most of biker related businesses have found a way to survive here in Colorado and that is because of the YOU. 

It was during these times of hardship that Colorado biker businesses and riders summoned the strength and resilience that lives deep in our DNA to survive. Our biker’s business proved that no matter how often we are knocked down, we will keep getting up and get through this pandemic together. Your commitment to support biker bars thru take out orders, direct donation and continuing to wear your masks has given these businesses just enough revenue to keep their doors open. 

The challenges that biker establishments like Dirty Dogs Roadhouse and others have endured, the additional costs involved to remain compliant will take years to recover from, but 1 thing is clear…the biker community is resilient and a community of riders that stand together will forever be #bikerstrong

Colorado Rider News, the only remaining monthly motorcycle publication in our community also faced challenges, and thanks to our motorcycle advertisers and subscribers who continued to read our publication online, we too were able to weather the COVID storm and are still here today!

The future of our motorcycle events in Colorado are increasing, and slowly events are filling up our event calendar.  Dealerships, promotors, and charities who struggled thru 2020, are scheduling their annual rides and events and we ask everyone to do what you can to support them. 

In this issue we will share with our readers and update on the 2nd  Colorado Motorcycle Swap Meet held at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse in March.  We have also dedicated a portion of this month’s issue to Women riders, their upcoming events, and businesses. 

Lastly, April is also Child Abuse Awareness month and CRN was honored to touch base with Biker’s for Justice and Christian Riders MM who will both be hosting rides to bring awareness to child abuse and trafficking.

As always enjoy the ride, let us know what we can do better and BE SAFE OUT THERE

Laurie Montoya

Publisher

Colorado Rider News

info@coloradoridernews.com

Publisher, Colorado Rider News

Filed Under: BikerDown, Colorado Riders Care, Colorado Riders Care Initiative, Community, From the Publisher, Magazine, Non-Profit

Motorcycle Awareness – 9th Annual Look Twice Save a Life

April 5, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

By Laurie Montoya

It is a well-known fact that the public does not watch for motorcycles no matter how many billboards CDOT puts up or lighted signs that are only up a few days in May or in August during Sturgis.  It is a well-known fact that most motorcycle accidents involve a car and/or some sort of distracted driving.  Distracted Driving comes in many forms including texting/driving, use of handheld mobile devices while driving, putting your makeup on while the vehicle is moving, looking in the back seat at your kids, eating while driving to changing the radio station.

Our riding community continues to be the victim of irresponsible drivers who are out driving with no driver’s license and little to no insurance and driver’s leaving accident victims on the ground and leaving the scene.  Driver’s change lanes without looking and run stop signs/lights, hit the biker and keep on going.

BikerDown Foundation received a Proclamation in 2015 from then Governor Hickenlooper proclaiming May17th as Colorado Motorcycle Awareness Day.  This was quite an honor to be recognized by the state of Colorado for the good work that BikerDown has done for the motorcycle community.

On May 15th, BikerDown will again host the only motorcycle awareness ride on the front range, called the Look Twice Save a Life ride.  We are going to repeat the theme of last year with Can YOU SEE me NOW.  These awareness shirts were a tremendous hit with riders no matter what you rode.

Riders will need to pre-register for the ride to guarantee themselves 1 of our motorcycle awareness t shirts.  T-shirts will be available the day of the event in limited sizes.  Registration is $25.00 per rider.  Each rider who pre-registers will get 1 free month of motorcycle roadside assistance sponsored by Motorcycle Towing Services.

Our ride will start and end this year at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse in Golden with kickstands up at 10-10:30 am.  The Look Twice ride is known for great rides routes and safety is always key for this event.  Dirty Dogs will have some great entertainment for our event, and our sponsors and biker community always donates great raffles and 50/50 drawings prizes.

Our sponsor for the ride is again Rider Justice.  For over 8 years, Scott O’Sullivan from RiderJustice.com has supported this event as well as BikerDown Foundation to ensure that injured motorcycle riders have a resource to go when they go down.

Pre-Register to get your Can YOU See me NOW event tshirt

This is BikerDown Colorado’s primary fundraiser that will enable us to continue the mission of helping injured riders until the end of the year!

You can register for our event by clicking here to be guaranteed your own Can YOU SEE me NOW t-shirt.  If you cannot make the event, please register and BikerDown will ship your shirt to you.  100% of your donation goes into the Colorado BikerDown Accident Fund to help injured riders.

Remember to Ride Safe and SAVE THE DATE!

Filed Under: BikerDown, Community, Events, Laurie Montoya, Magazine, Non-Profit Tagged With: BikerDown, BikerDown Colorado, Can you See me Now, Charity Ride, Look Twice Save a Life, motorcycle events

Save the Date – May 1st is International Female Ride Day

April 5, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

Colorado Rider News in conjunction with Audrey Paulas from Cool Biker Lunch & Rides is hosting the May 1st International Female Ride. Please join us at Rocky Mountain Harley Davidson at 9am for a day of empowerment for women!

Pre-Register today by clicking here

After a short ride, we will come back to the dealership and have an afternoon of activities including a women’s rodeo games, women biker vendors and music.

You can pre-register for the ride by clicking here. Pre-registration guarantees that you will receive an event tshirt and our welcome package. Huge thank you to our sponsor RiderJustice.com and our host Kathy and Marina from Rocky Mountain Harley. Kathy has been a women biker owned business for over 40 years and an inspiration to women riders all over the Colorado riding community including her annual Children’s Hospital Toy Run.

International Female Ride days is a globally synchronized women’s motorcycle ride

Proceeds from the event will go directly to the local food banks in Jefferson County and to BikerDown’s #2Wheels4meals program which helps 1st responders and injured riders with meals.

Filed Under: BikerDown, Community, Events, Magazine, Non-Profit, Ride, Rider Justice Tagged With: motorcycle events, Rocky Mountain Harley Davidson, Women Who Ride

World Record Poker Run choses BikerDown as their Charity of Choice

March 10, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

For more information visit www.worldrecordpokerrun.com

By Sonny Gartin, The Badgers

Support Bikers Crew has chosen the Biker Down Foundation to raise money for during their World Record Poker Run of 2021 from Florida to Sturgis. The Badgers asked their fans to help them choose an organization that supports bikers. “The ultimate goal was to find an organization that supports ALL bikers and goes along with our tagline “Bikers Supporting Bikers,” said Sonny Gartin with The Badgers and The Biker Lifestyle. He is one of the founders of SupportBikers.com and the person who came up with the idea to beat a world record. 

If you go DOWN…We step UP! www.bikerdown.org

“I had no idea there was an organization out there like this who helps bikers when they go down. I knew the Badgers were looking for a small organization that helped bikers and would benefit from getting nation-wide exposure.” said Karen from Ireland, one of the Support Bikers Crew. Because of Karen’s suggestion, Sonny reached out to President & Founder Laurie Montoya in February to learn about her organization. The deadline to find an organization was March 1st and the pressure was on until Sonny hung up the phone with Laurie and went straight to Momma Badger to tell her this was the one. This would be the perfect fit. As they support all bikers and biker’s families. 

There were many things that stood out in the conversation. Laurie’s passion to help every person that reaches out to her. The knowledge that she has from experience and legal background to provide answers to questions that people do not even think to ask. The tools to provide fundraising should the need arise. Plus, Laurie as a whole arsenal of things to offer the biker community in the form of motorcycle awareness. 

“We are so excited to have Laurie as part of the Support Bikers family and the fact that she gets to ride with us on this World Record Poker Run to tell everyone about Biker Down makes it even more epic!” said Momma Badger also known as Angie. 

Dirty Dogs Roadhouse is the #1 Biker Bar in Colorado and 1 of the last overnight stops before riders head to Sturgis

The World Record Poker Run was so impressed with BikerDown that we reorganized our ride to go thru Golden Colorado for an overnight stop and to see the #1 Biker Bar in Colorado Dirty Dogs Roadhouse.

For more information please visit http://www.worldrecordpokerrun.com

Filed Under: BikerDown, Community, Events, Magazine, Ride, Travel Tagged With: Charity Poker Run, motorcycle events, Poker Run, world record poker run

A Tribute to Chris Pejko

January 28, 2021 By Colorado Rider News Leave a Comment

By Michele Tusi – East Coast

On January 3rd, 2021, Chris Pejko died in a tragic motorcycle accident.  And just like that, the community lost a fellow biker, a nurse, an avid snowboarder … a person who would move heaven and earth to help a friend, ease a heartache, or give you a doom and gloom prognosis if you had a cough.  Funny?  Yeah, Chris was a funny dude with a quirky sense of humor and a laugh that was genuine.

Chris was a rock star.  Literally.  He kicked cancer’s ass TWICE, cruised all over the country on his Harley, slashed through fresh powder on more mountains than most can even name, and cared for the sickest of the sick as an ICU nurse working on the front lines against the pandemic and throughout his career.  When people say, “live your life to the fullest”, Chris embodied that expression.  Chris designed his life in a way that needed to be experienced in order to be fully lived.  Experience it, he did, and he would have happily taken any of us with him on those adventures.

He loved his concerts – big and small, his Harley – I mean how many photos of his bike did we see on Facebook??, snowboarding – great adventures with ‘Team Retard’, his profession – a lifelong passion for helping others, his friends – and you know who you are and of course, his family – God Bless.

If you had the privilege to ride with Chris, you know he was an experienced rider, whose joy came from the RIDE – no matter where or with whom – he loved to ride!  He could find a unique route to get just about anywhere, you never knew where you were going, but the roads were always smooth, and the scenery breathtaking.  The girls would joke that Chris was the best ‘bike valet’ for he was quick to help you get parked, get moved, or get caught up!  NO ONE LEFT BEHIND when you rode with Chris.

Chris was a solid human, a great friend, and more importantly, possessed empathy beyond his years.  He would do whatever he could for anyone.  He would offer to pay for things when he knew that others could not afford them, even if he himself was strapped for cash.  He just made it happen.

Each one of us has a footprint beyond the Biker Community.  I would be remiss if I did not mention Chris’ professional impact as an ICU Nurse.  His peers and colleagues looked up to him, as evident by the many Facebook posts on his timeline and retelling of work time stories and antidotes.  His ability to stay calm in emergencies, advocate for his patients, and provide on the spot training and support for his fellow nurses makes this loss even more heartbreaking.

What can I say?

‘You know that only the good die young

I tell ya

Only the good die young

Only the good die young’

Artist – Billy Joel

Filed Under: Audrey Paulas, BikerDown, Community, Magazine, Memorial

BikerDown offers new stickers to try and get the message to distracted drivers

January 28, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

BikerDown Foundation’s mission is always to help injured motorcycle riders. A large part of that mission is getting out motorcycle awareness, distracted driving in all its forms including driver’s using hand held mobile devices and texting and driving.

Every year our community suffers many accidents due to careless drivers. To continue to support our mission, BikerDown has created these motorycle helmet or vehicle stickers with a very strong message. GET OFF THE F**CKIN PHONE!

BikerDown just released some new awareness t-shirts that they hope the community will purchase to support BikerDown. You can purchase them on our website store

Click HERE to purchase on their online store

BikerDown Foundation runs on the generosity of the biker community. If you know of someone who has been injured in a motorcycle accident, please do a help request on their website www.bikerdown.org

Filed Under: ADS, BikerDown, Magazine, Non-Profit, Safety

Wanna go on a cruise? High Seas Rally is the event a biker needs to experience.

January 28, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

Cruise line companies have been taking reservations and then cancelling guest because of COVID restrictions. The suggestion of many travel agents is to book a cruise long in advance to increase the probability.

Do you ever wonder if there was a cruise for bikers? Do you wonder how many Rally’s will actually be scheduled this year? Well wonder no more.

High Seas Rally has been scheduling biker cruises since 2003 and is THE WORLDS ONLY BIKER RALLY on a Cruise Ship! This 7-day cruise is tailored to the biker community and is scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral in Florida on October 22, 2021.

Everything on the cruise is tailored to motorcycle riders including Salute to Service day, Leather night, Pirate contest, Best Beard Contest, Poker chip swap and much much more. If that wasn’t enough to get you interested, the kickass entertainment they have is well, they have scheduled Trace Adkins, Foghat, Molly Hatchet and much much more!

If you are interested they still have great balcony rooms available and if you mention BIKERDOWN when completing your reservation you can be helping injured riders at the same time. To get more information visit their website by clicking here.

Filed Under: BikerDown, Events, International, Magazine, Travel

Are you ready to ride in 2021?

January 11, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

President/Founder BikerDown Foundation

By Laurie Montoya, President & Founder of BikerDown Foundation

Warmer weather and year-round riding has become our New Normal.  Gone are the days when you winterized your bike and put her or him away for the winter months.  The growth of BikerDown nationwide and in warmer climates has seen an up tick in rider accidents in our chapters and nationwide.

Sadly, COVID it has it us all hard in one way or another.  We are seeing cagers now choosing to drive with very limited insurance or NO INSURANCE and riders having to lower the levels of their policy. BikerDown has a membership program that is different than most program that you are currently enrolled in and  we ask you in 2021 to take a look at what our programs offer.  They are priced to give you value and services you will need in the event of a breakdown, accident or fatality.

To Join Click here

In 2020, BikerDown implemented levels of assistance based on membership.  While we will always help ALL riders who request help, being a PAID member will give you higher levels of assistance available thru BikerDown.

Riding comes with risks and rewards, but we all can make a decision today to try to get additional supplemental coverage to ensure in the event of an accident, we can focus on recovery and not how to keep a roof over our heads.

Here is a brief outline of our most valued memberships

ROADSIDE PLUS – This is our most valuable membership level at $35.00 per month ($1.16 per day).  The cost to pay for your services is $29.69, so BikerDown only receives $5.31 into our Accident Fund to help injured riders.
BikerDown Assistance – By being a paid member of BikerDown in 2021, you will have access to a highest level of assistance in the event of an accident.

To sign up please click here

Aflac Individual Accident Indemnity Policy that includeson the job coverage + nationwide motorcycle towing from MTS.
Every motorcycle accident is serious and most riders just don’t realize how bad it is or how under covered they are until it happens to them. 

On average, injured riders can be out of work for 6-10 weeks depending on the severity of their injuries.  This supplemental accident policy can pay you cash money to use for household expenses to keep you going during recovery.  Most of the time Aflac will pay you more money than any fundraiser friends or family can raise. 

Nationwide Motorcycle Towing – you are covered by your bike insurance and think that you are covered, but do you really know what type of tow truck will be dispatched when your bike breaks down.  Have you also asked them if you ask for roadside will that go against you as a claim?  Worry no more, we have partners with MTS the #1 motorcycle towing company in the US/Canada. 

They have certified motorcycle towers ready.  This level of coverage would cost you over $55 dollars per year and includes 2 tows per year at $150 each tow. This is inclusive in your BD Roadside Plus Membership.

http://bikerdown.org/join-us/

ROADSIDE – This membership level at $35 per year and has been our best seller for year.  

BikerDown Assistance – By being a paid member of BikerDown in 2021, you will have access to a higher level of assistance in the event of an accident.
Nationwide Motorcycle Towing – you are covered by your bike insurance and think that you are covered, but do you really know what type of tow truck will be dispatched when your bike breaks down. 

Have you also asked them if you ask for roadside will that go against you as a claim?  Worry no more, we have partners with MTS the #1 motorcycle towing company in the US/Canada.  They have certified motorcycle towers ready.  This level of coverage would cost you over $55 dollars per year and includes 2 tows per year at $150 each tow. This is inclusive in your BD Roadside Plus Membership.

50% of Drivers have little or no insurance – ARE YOU SURE YOUR COVERED?

Insurance Checklist 2020 has seen many challenges financially and emotionally.  Families are having to make hard decisions.  Insurances on your car or bike seems to be 1 of the first to let lapse when trying to keep a roof over your head.  Motorcycle riders NOW more than ever must NOT LET YOUR POLICY LAPSE and in fact riders should find a way to ADD under or un-insured motorist to their policy or risk the chance of that driver having NO COVERAGE!  
RiderJustice.com has provided this this checklist to help make sure that you’re covered properly.  As a motorcycle rider, you need to have each of the following coverages:

  • Underinsured Motorist (UIM) – Purchase a minimum of $250,000
  • Medical Payments (MedPay) – get the maximum offered by your insurance company, usually between $5k and $25k
  • Umbrella Policy – If you own your home, you need an underinsured motorists’ umbrella policy for $1 million.
  • Liability – Purchase a minimum of $250,000;
  • Collision
  • Comprehensive
  • Accessories Coverage – This protects all of the customized accessories on your bike. (Be sure to get replacement value coverage)

Before your next ride, call your insurance provider today and get the coverage you need to be safe on the road.

Filed Under: BikerDown, From the Publisher, Magazine, Rider Justice

2021 is HERE! What Resolutions will you stick to this year?

January 5, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

Editor & Publisher of Colorado Rider News

By: Laurie Montoya

2020 is behind us, A new year is upon us and many hope that 2021 will bring healing to all. The start of a new year is a time of making positive change, arriving at fresh decisions, and transforming old habits into great ones.

This year, life looks different than it did last December. When the 2021ball dropped the streets were not filled with hundreds of thousands of people, many celebrated in a quiet, low-key way, perhaps snuggled on the couch. 

As motorcycle riders, our bikers had more time to ride and saw an uptick in motorcycle fatalities and accidents and as a rider myself, I know it is time to consider what I can do to be safer on the ride. 

Dieting and saving money might sound like good 2021 new year’s resolutions. But, really, the best resolution you could make is: ride more motorcycles and make some changes in how you ride.  Here are some motorcycle resolutions to keep in mind in 2021

To get an FREE Insurance Review contact RiderJustice or visit this link click here
  1. Increase your bike/car insurance – not the most glamorous first resolution, but certainly the most important.  Colorado riders ride year-round and accidents as we know happen weekly in our community.  All riders MUST have at least 250k dollars in under or un-insured motorist coverage.  50% of all drivers in Colorado do not have car insurance and if they do another 25% of them have liability only.  No-one likes high priced insurance, but FREEDOM of the ride is NO LONGER FREE.  Do it for your family and friends if nothing else, family members are the ones who will struggle to help you if or when you have an accident.
BikerDown offers the Aflac Accident Essential policy inclusive in our Roadside Plus Membership for $35.00 Click here to JOIN

2. Add a Supplemental policy such as Aflac or MedPay – These supplemental policies are vital coverages to have in the event of an accident and will cost you less than you think.  I cannot tell you how many times a rider has said to me I have FULL-COVERAGE, so I am good.  Full coverage covers your bike loan or helps you if you hit someone.  What full coverage does not DO is help keep your family financially a float while you are out of work.  Health insurance will pay your medical or doctor’s bills.  But having 1 of these supplemental policies will help offset your loss of income while you are recovering. 

Aflac Accident policy inclusive in their 35.00 per month ($1.16 per day) membership that you can utilize in any type of an accident not just on the bike. 

MedPay – Medical Payment Coverage, also called MedPay, is a premium that your car insurance company must offer you. MedPay is relatively inexpensive, adding about $5 per month to the cost of many policies. This is because its use is limited, and its maximum payout is low. In fact, to forfeit the coverage, you must sign a waiver. The value of the coverage can range from $5,000 to $25,000.  Watch this video for more information on MedPay

3. Get your Living will and affairs in order – again not on most people’s top 10 of things to do, but vital in the event of an accident.  We all know that life can change in a blink of an eye.  Accidents can happen but thinking that your family and friends know your wishes or will honor your wishes after an accident of fatality is quite a different story.  We lost many of our biker family in 2020 and the aftermath of confusion would shock most of you.  Take a day to do your living will or watch for one of BikerDown Foundation’s Free Will Friday that will be scheduled for 2021 monthly.  They are planning on bringing in experts who can help you get your documents in order..

4. Motorcycle Maintenance – Regular maintenance is one of the best ways to ensure motorcycle safety on the road.  Just because your bike starts and runs…doesn’t mean it isn’t a risk for a breakdown leaving you possibly stranded on a ride and causing more damage to your bike when you are forced to get it fixed.   If you don’t know what you’re doing, then the New Year is the perfect tie to learn.  Take your owner’s manual and get more familiar with your specific bike.  You should also always check your tire pressure for the temperature and conditions on the road.  Your tires will lose pressure in colder riding conditions and not give you the performance you might need…traction is also so important in Colorado with the ice/gravel and other hazards that can be on our mountain roads

5. Get your endorsement – Many riders are riding in our state and nationwide without their motorcycle endorsement.  While your state may not require it, many states do…so taking that trip cross country you might head into a state that requires it. I believe there are also some insurance discounts/benefits that you can get from your insurance company by showing them that you have your endorsement or have completed some refresher classes.

6. Update your riding skills – Many of you have been riding for years, but there is not anything better than taking a day to refresh your motorcycle skills and learn some additional defensive driving tips.   There are also Accident Scene Management classes sponsored by Rider Justice and BikerDown that can help someone render aid in the event of an accident.

7. Is it time for a new helmet? – In terms of safety gear, a DOT helmet is one of the most important items you can add to the bike, and if you are planning on any road trips outside of Colorado, you will need to carry a helmet when you travel.  While Colorado riders have always believed in the choice to wear or not wear a helmet it is astonishing just how many bikers will compromise their safety in a bid to look cool on the road.  I too had never wanted to wear a helmet, but now have taken that leap to additional safety when I ride by purchasing a DOT helmet.

  • 8. Safety clothing and apparel – For years if you wanted to wear motorcycle safety gear you had to go to a sport bike clothing manufacturer and it really did not match your clothing or style of clothing.  Companies like Tobacco Motorwear Company have brought to the motorcycle riders (male and female) clothing such as Kevlar riding pants and jackets and vests that have D30 back protectors.  D30 is a new technology is the thinnest and most advanced protection against impact around.  Basically, it is very thin and flexible until impact and then hardens instantly.
  • Ride more often – you should try, and ride more than you did in the previous year. Set a goal of riding a specific amount of days per month. It can be hard to do with family, work and other commitments occupying most of your time, but if you are a passionate rider, then it shouldn’t be viewed as a chore. Even if you must go around the corner for a few groceries, make it your duty to take your bike instead. Once the nice weather hits your area, get out and join up with local organized charity rides.   Find a group of riders that share your passion and style of riding is also a great way to get out and ride more. The more buddies you have that want to hit the road, the easier it will be for you to get off your butt and go for a ride.

9. Plan a Motorcycle Trip – Colorado riders has some of the best riding in the country.  Make a list of states that you have always wanted to ride to and start planning. Road trip can get expensive, but if you decide on taking your motorcycle somewhere instead, you will enjoy the freedom and experience of getting to your destination a lot more. Now is the perfect time to start planning something for 2020 because, in Colorado winter is still upon us and will limit our riding over the next few snowy months.  There is some amazing riding outside of Colorado…so make your bucket list and start your saving for your trip. The possibilities are endless. You just need that determination and drive to start organizing things and follow through with it. You only live once, so you might as well make it memorable experiencing the unfamiliar.

Being pro-active with your riding and taking some simple necessary steps to keep you a little safer on the road seems to me to be the BEST Motorcycle New Year’s Eve Resolution!

Filed Under: BikerDown, Breaking, Community, From the Publisher, Insurance, Legal, Magazine

BikerDown’s Adopt a Family for Holidays Meets Goals with Help from Special Donor

December 17, 2020 By Colorado Rider News Leave a Comment

Adopt a Family raised over $14k for families in need!

There is nothing more stressful than the holidays for families, whether it is the COVID world that we currently live in with job layoffs, food service industry shutdowns and in-home learning requiring 1 family member to not work.   Also, the normal high cost of living in Denver and surrounding areas makes it difficult for any extras each month.  Gone are the days, when a family can put a little away every month, or the Christmas savings accounts one used to open every year to save for the holidays.  Families struggle every year to provide the kind of Christmas that all children deserve.

BikerDown Foundation saw the need in the motorcycle community 10 years ago and implemented a holiday program called Adopt A Family for the Holidays.  Since its inception BikerDown thru Adopt A Family has helped over 500 families have the resources to provide Christmas for their children.

Each family in the program receives a $250 Walmart gift card and partnered with Walmart to provide a full holiday dinner and to ensure that children have food to get them thru the New Year.  What makes our program different is they allow donors to see their donations at work by meeting with the families, reading about their circumstances and getting to personally meet them at our Dinner with Santa. 

Their goal in 2020 was to help as many families as they could but to also be realistic that everyone in our community was struggling and that donations could possibly be down this year.  Adopt A Family even limited the number of families that could apply to 40 families, from the normal 75-100.  BikerDown Adopt A Family also expanded their reach in 2019 to include the Las Vegas BikerDown chapter which each year has reached their family goals with the guidance of Shannon Venturo from Full Throttle Law & Bling Devas, MC, Cheryl from Original Sinners, MC and the Southern Nevada Confederation of Clubs.

On December 11, 2020, with 2 weeks away from Christmas, they began to get very worried that they just would not meet the goal of helping 40 families. On Wednesday, December 16, Laurie Montoya, President and Founder of BikerDown and Adopt A Family, received a phone call that she will never forget.
Michael Lord, a local Denver entrepreneur, called to adopt the last 4 families in our program. Mike then asked if there were any other families that they could help. In a matter of minutes, Mike and his co-workers adopted 10 additional families that were on the waitlist!

The program would be remiss to not recognize all the Colorado donors of this program, that each year make sure to adopt at least 1-2 families.  These biker community donors have been the back bone of our program for 10 years and Adopt a Family would not have been able to survive and increase our help without their commitment every year.  We would like to give special recognition to Scott O’Sullivan from RiderJustice.com and The O’Sullivan Law firms, Greg & Brooklyn Chmel, Art and Khris Cleveland, Derek from Ironwood Earthcare, BO Martinez, Skip Hohnhorst, Eli Ohlauser, Deborah Thomas, Kevin Maki, and all of you who attended the November Chili cook off.  You are truly a blessing to this program.

Adopt A Family will continue the mission in 2021 and we look forward to bigger and better events that will enable us to extend our reach to more and more families.


We will all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I hope you will raise your glass and join me in say FAREWELL to 2020.

Filed Under: BikerDown, Breaking, Colorado Riders Care, Community, From the Publisher, Magazine, Non-Profit

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UPDATE: The 2nd swap meet hosted by The Colorado Motorcycle Expo and Dirty Dogs … [Read More...] about April 11th is the last Motorcycle Expo Swap for 2021

Save the Date – May 1st is International Female Ride Day

Colorado Rider News in conjunction with Audrey Paulas from Cool Biker Lunch … [Read More...] about Save the Date – May 1st is International Female Ride Day

Help Us Help the Children in our Community

By: Bikers for Justice For those of you who do not know, April is the … [Read More...] about Help Us Help the Children in our Community

Belt Drive Betty Ride Canada

Canada – April is Child Abuse Awareness Month

By: Belt Drive Betty Here in Canada, we have several motorcycle organizations … [Read More...] about Canada – April is Child Abuse Awareness Month

Biker Owned Business Directory – April 2021

Need a service and not sure where to go? Take a moment to view our Colorado … [Read More...] about Biker Owned Business Directory – April 2021

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