Rallying against child abuse
President of Bikers Against Child Abuse, a bearded, straight-faced yet cheerful man named Shots, sporting his BACA cut, stood in front of hundreds of fellow members and Virgin Valley residents Saturday evening in the Virgin River Casino parking lot.
They were about to give away a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
He called a number on a tiny piece of paper and the phone rang through the microphone. The crowd had grins on their faces as they anticipated an answer. A man picked up on the other line not knowing what the conversation would be about.
“Hi, is this LD?” Shots said.
“Yes, it is,” LD said being caught off-guard.
“Hi, my name is Shots and I’m with BACA. I’m standing here with hundreds of BACA members and we’re proud to say that you’ve just won a brand new Harley Davidson motorcycle,” Shots said.
The crowd gave an uproar of excitement for LD who sounded stunned on the other line.
“This is crazy,” L.D. said. “This is really crazy man.”
“Yeah, so we would like to thank you and everybody else who donated to BACA, we appreciate everything you’ve done to help us do what we do,” Shots said.
The crowd gave another roar of approval for LD and for BACA’s 13th annual fundraiser, the Keepers of the Children Rally, held at the Virgin River Casino. The rally is the biggest fundraiser of the year, Shots said, where chapters from Arizona, Nevada and Utah gather to "have a good time" while fighting against child abuse.
It was a perfect day for the group, Shots said, as they participated in a poker run throughout the day and made a pit stop for pancakes and bacon at the Mesquite Fire and Rescue who was holding a pancake breakfast and open house.
“They’re a wonderful group,” said Rick Resnick, deputy chief of MFD. “It was a great way to raise money for both organizations and we want to collaborate with them next year.”
“The pancakes were absolutely delicious,” said Pepper of the Las Vegas Chapter. “The community is great, everyone was there to support the fire department and it worked out for all of us.”
After eating plates and plates of pancakes and bacon, the group was off to the festivities planned at the Virgin River Casino.
The festivities included a tire toss, where participants threw a motorcycle tire as far as they could; a slow drag, where riders revved their Harleys and slowly crossed the finish line; and the “weenie bite” contest.
With a passenger sitting behind him, the driver must drive as slow as he can through a stand, with a hot dog hanging at the end of a string, and the passenger must eat as much of the hot dog as she can. The driver also cannot let go of the gas or they are disqualified. Some went too fast and missed the weenie while some were able to get a few bites.
Others were left with ketchup or mustard stains.
“It’s the best game there is,” said McPhily of the St. George Chapter. “It’s a blast to just watch them try to snag the weenie. Everyone has a good time.”
McPhily said he’s been with the St. George Chapter for about a year and a half and loves the group and the cause.
“I’ve been a huge supporter of the organization for a lot of years,”McPhily said. “Finally when I moved to St. George a few years ago I was able to dedicate myself to the group. I do it to make my kids happy and it makes me want to work harder to make sure other kids are happy too.”
Shots said BACA is an international organization spanning in nine countries and is also has chapters in all but three states. The group acts as support for abused children and provides aid for the children's therapy.
Shots said the rally raised about $3,000 from donations, raffles and the poker run which will go toward whatever therapeutic aid a child needs such as karate lessons, football, dance lessons or other therapy a child needs to heal from trauma.
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