FAYETTEVILLE -- Bikes, Blues & BBQ officials handed out $55,000 raised at the 15th annual September motorcycle rally to 24 local charities Monday night at George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville.
"This is the best part of the rally from my perspective, giving away money to the charities," said Joe Giles, executive director of Bikes, Blues & BBQ. "That was one of the original tenets of the original rally, that was the whole deal, giving back."
AT A GLANCE
Charitable Donations
Here’s a look at the charities receiving donations from Bikes, Blues & BBQ:
• Big Brothers-Big Sisters — $1,000
• Camp Alliance — $1,000
• Children’s Safety Center — $1,000
• Fayetteville Public Education Foundation — $1,000
• Horses for Healing — $1,000
• Lifesource International — $1,000
• NWA Rape Crisis — $1,000
• Ozark Literacy Council — $1,000
• Restoration Village — $1,000
• Springdale Youth Wrestling — $1,000
• Washington County 4-H Foundation — $1,000
• Jackson L. Graves Foundation — $2,500
• LifeStyles, Inc. — $2,500
• NWA Free Health Center — $2,500
• Peace at Home Shelter — $2,500
• Promise Land Food Program — $2,500
• 7 Hills Homeless Shelter — $2,500
• Sheriff Ralph Baker Memorial Scholarship Fund — $2,500
• Single Parent Scholarship Fund — $2,500
• Winslow Community Meals — $2,500
• Youth Bridge — $2,500
• Pagnozzi Charities — $4,000
• Area Agency on Aging — $5,000
• Fayetteville Boys and Girls Club — $5,000
Source: Bikes, Blues & BBQ
Pete Reagan, secretary, added, "This is what it's all about."
Organizations from all over Northwest Arkansas received checks Monday night.
The Area Agency on Aging, Meals on Wheels in Fayetteville, got $5,000.
"It'll help feed a lot of people. It's very expensive to prepare and package the meals," Cayla Wilson, director of the program, said. "We deliver meals all over Fayetteville and there are some seniors who don't have anything, they're destitute. If it wasn't for Meals on Wheels they would not have a meal some days."
Promise Land Food Program got $2,500 that will be used to help feed about 1,600 kids a day in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale, said Stephanie Whitfield, program director, and her husband, Lee.
"It's sustainability. It helps us serve as many kids as possible," Stephanie Whitfield said. "We're very appreciative of organizations such has Bikes, Blues & BBQ that help us do just that."
The program has been up and running for about 14 months now.
"We saw a need," Lee Whitfield said. "We really wanted to do a ministry in the community."
In Madison County, the Sheriff Ralph Baker Memorial Scholarship Fund got $2,500 that will go toward three college scholarships for deserving kids, one each from St. Paul, Kingston and Huntsville, Billie Baker Whorton said.
The Springdale Youth Wrestling Club got $1,000 that will be used to sponsor kids who would otherwise not be able to afford equipment and participate, said Reese Thompson, head coach and a financial coordinator for Bikes, Blues & BBQ. Thompson said the program has about 75 kids, ages 5 to 15. The money is used to sponsor about 15 to 20 kids a year.
"It's huge," Thompson said. "We fund raise but this donation is massive."
The volunteer "Generals" of Bikes, Blues & BBQ, folks in charge of various parts of the rally, were allowed to give a donation to a charity of their choice and gave $5,000 to Childcare Aware.
Thompson said Bikes, Blues & BBQ has an enormous financial impact on the region.
"There are no losers with this organization," Thompson said. "Businesses and the local economy benefit and on top of that, you have all the excess funds donated to the most influential community organizations."
In addition to direct donations, the rally provided about $105,000 in indirect benefits to charities who worked during the event or were given space for their fundraising efforts, Giles said.
About 150 people from local charities and Bikes, Blues & BBQ volunteers and sponsors attended the event.
This year's rally was the largest to date, Giles said. The attendance was estimated between 380,000 and 400,000.
The expansion at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, which included a classic car show, vintage bike show, military appreciation area, and a steak cooking competition, had a very successful first year. Other new attractions included guided VIP rides by Jack Daniels and Cherokee Casino and a tattoo expo at the Washington County Fairgrounds.
The rally is also planning to construct a permanent warehouse facility in a partnership with the Washington County Fairgrounds, as an investment in the rally's future.
Rally organizers were able to give $114,000 in direct support to charities from last year's rally and helped generate an additional $85,000 through event-related fundraisers, such as a poker run set up by firefighters.
Bikes, Blues & BBQ is a nonprofit organization, based in Fayetteville that produces the annual motorcycle rally. Established in 2000, the organization has now directly donated over $750,000 to charities, and has indirectly benefited charities by about the same, according to a press release.
In 2013, according to a University of Arkansas study, the rally's economic impact was between $69 million and $80 million and the estimated rally attendance was between 300,000 and 350,000.
Bikes, Blues & BBQ has received the award for Best Citywide Event from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 and the award for Best Event or Fair in 2014.
NW News on 12/09/2014