discoveries

re s s y

Living To Ride

The local chapter of a national motorcycle
organization bikes while raising money.

LONNY GOLDSMITH
Staff Writer

r

tatoos.
For the past nine years, a local
group has been trying to clean up the
image.
The Gold Wing Road Riders
Association (GWRRA), according to
Chapter Director Sally Bobek, is an
international organization with more
than 70,000 members dedicated to
safe motorcycling and bettering the
image of motorcyclists.
"Our main thrust is edu-
cation," Bobek said. "We
tell people that drinking
and driving is absolutely
unacceptable. We teach
people how to be safe."
On Oct. 17, the local
Chapter P will be sponsor-
ing a spaghetti dinner at
the Berkley Community
Center from 6-8 p.m. Cost
of the event is $6 for
adults, $5 for seniors and
children.
Proceeds from the fund-
raiser will go to Paws with
a Cause.
"It's a lot like the Leader
Dog program," Bobek said.
"They work with hearing
impaired or handicapped
people instead of the
blind."
According to Bobek, it
costs $5,000-$6,000 to
train each dog.
Richard Donor with his Gold Wing.
"The dogs are trained to
open doors, bring cordless
phones to their owner, and wake them
also Sunday morning breakfasts with a
in the case of a smoke alarm going
ride afterwards.
off," she said.
There are two levels of member-
The last three years, GWRRA held
ship: Full members own a Honda
garage sales as their main fund-raiser.
Gold Wing, while associate members
"Our members sold all the things that
support the organization, but don't
they wanted to get rid of," Bobek said.
own that kind of bike.
Chapter P is based in Berkley but
has members from Royal Oak;Troy,
Rochester, Birmingham and surround-
ing areas. Last year, Michigan

Tortoise and marcasite set in sterling

silver. From Judith Jack. $35 - $250.

Jacobson's

9/26
1997

16

Ann Arbor
(313) 769-7600

Birmingham
(248) 644-6900

Grosse Poirfte
(313) 882-7000

Livonia
(313) 591-7696

longer hours • Mon-Sat 10-9 • Open Sunday at noon.

or a long time, motorcycle
riders have dealt with the
reputation that they are big,
burly, heavy drinkers with

GWRRA raised more than $80,000
for area charities, including American --\
Diabetes, Make a Wish Foundation
and the Channel 56 Auction.
While safety issues and social events
are important to the organization,
Richard Donor of Birmingham is
involved for the riding.
"I've been a ride captain each of the_/
last two years," said Donor, an off-
')
and-on rider of 25 years. "I'm also a
member of Chapter E in Waterford as
well as Chapter P so I can ride more
often."
According to Donor, the chapters
often have ice cream rides on
Wednesday, where they all meet at a
certain point and ride together, gener-
ally to a spot an hour away. There are -/

Rochester
(248) 651-6000