Fewer RUB's willing to pay to ride with other RUB's this year

 

Economy stalls the Love Ride

http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articles/2009/10/09/education/gnp-love1009=
09.txt

The 26th running of annual motorcycle charity event has to be canceled
due to lack of finances.
By Max Zimbert
Published: Last Updated Friday, October 9, 2009 10:21 AM PDT
GLENDALE — A lack of funds, not a lack of love, doomed what would h=
ave
been the 26th annual Love Ride.

Organizers of one of the largest one-day motorcycle charity events in
the world announced Thursday that it had been canceled due to poor
ticket sales and other financial worries.

“The numbers were scary dismal to where we thought, ‘Gee, t=
his thing
is going to bomb,’� said Oliver Shokouh, Love Ride founder =
and the
owner of Glendale Harley-Davidson, which organizes the ride.

Company officials canceled the event when pre-registration numbers
were about one-third less than the event’s previously lowest turnou=
t.
The event typically raises more than $1 million, organizers said.

“I’ve talked to other people involved in charitable events,=
 and
typically they’re down on average by 50%, it seems like,� S=
hokouh
said. “Charities have gone away from people’s hearts right =
now, and
they’re really just fighting for survival.�

The Love Ride was started in 1984 as a fundraising event for the
Muscular Dystrophy Assn. and had grown to benefit more than a dozen
children’s charities.

A spokeswoman for the association said she was saddened by the
cancellation, pointing out that funds raised by the Love Ride helped
fund services and research for clients in the Los Angeles area.

“There’s no doubt that these are challenging times for [the
association] and nonprofits alike,� said Roxan Triolo Olivas, natio=
nal
public relations manager for the association. “As a nonprofit we ar=
e
accustomed to operating on a tight budget, and we will continue to
work on new efforts to generate income.�

Instead of a ride that closes much of South Brand Boulevard, Shokouh
arranged an autograph session with actor Peter Fonda and a free movie
screening to commemorate the 40th anniversary of “Easy Rider.â€=
� The
event is from 4 to 10 p.m. Oct. 23. Organizers will also sell Love
Ride memorabilia at the dealership at 3717 San Fernando Road over the
weekend.

“We’d rather try to hang on to what we have and cut our los=
ses than
lose it all and potentially more than we can afford,� Shokouh said,
adding that the charity ride might return next year. “We’ll=
 have to
wait and see what happens to the state of the economy. We’ll see if=
 we
have the resources and energy and proper climate, but the vision’s
always been great.�

Harley-Davidson laid off 1,100 workers in January, and motorcycle
sales for 2009 were projected to drop about 40% compared with 2008,
according to Dealernews, an industry publication.

Last year’s Love Ride attracted about 20,000 riders and culminated =
at
the Fairplex in Pomona. The day of trade shows, exhibits, vendors and
entertainment featured bikers from all over the U.S. An afternoon
concert last year was headlined by ZZ Top and the Foo Fighters. Dwight
Yoakam was slated to perform at this year’s event on Oct. 26.

Funding for the event comes mostly from Harley-Davidson of Glendale,
with additional support from sponsorships. But backers were few and
far between this year, Shokouh said.

“We’d cold-call a sponsor, some people would just laugh and=
 hang up,â€�
he said. “Even people we’ve had a relationship with in the =
past aren’t
coming on board. It has been a really grueling experience.�

Glendale partnered with the event last year and marshaled about
$29,000 worth of police and traffic control for about $14,000.

In September, the City Council approved $17,000 to co-sponsor the
event, along with $2,000 to advertise the event.

“It’s really sad that such a great event is a victim of the=
 economy,â€�
said Philip Lanzafame, the city’s director of development services.
“They’re holding a smaller event  . .â€=
‚. while it’s not the same grand
scale we’ve come to know, the spirit of it is still there, of helpi=
ng
those who could use some help.�

Participants who had already registered will receive a Love Ride 26
pin, patch and T-shirt.

Donations to Love Ride charities are still being accepted and are tax
deductible, organizers said.

Shokouh said he hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep the last few weeks.

“Nobody wanted to keep this going more than me,� Shokouh sa=
id. “Twenty-
five years of my life, and the focus is to do the Love Ride every
year. This year, we worked twice as hard . . .â=
€‚and it just wasn’t
happening.�


Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they
represent the view of glendalenewspress.com.
bikersrights wrote on Oct 9, 2009 5:01 AM:

" Why should motorcyclists support the MDA--inefficient, poor-
administered, rated only two-star by Charity Navigator--when there are
so many other charities rated higher for doing more with less? Better
question is, why should bikers support ANY non-biker charity ... and
thereby indirectly fund the anti-motorcycle healthcare and insurance
lobbies ... while every year more than 108,000 biker households suffer
loss of income, limb or life ... incurring catastrophic medical bills,
burial costs and other expenses ... often due to failure-to-yield and
other right-of-way violations resulting from the discretionary
distractions of care-less cagers who go unpunished for their crimes?
Who is more deserving of biker charity than our own? More here: tinyurl
[dot]com/pgny4n "