Led by NASCAR driver Kyle Petty, 250 motorcyclists will leave Traverse City Sunday morning, launching a seven-day, 2,300-mile trek that will help send sick children to camp.
The route of the 14th Annual Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America starts at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa and winds up next Saturday in Savannah, Ga. Every dollar raised during the event will benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, N.C.
Kyle Petty Charity Ride organizers are throwing a kick-off party on Friday, July 11, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The party, which is free and open to the public, will be held at Jazz Live Field on the grounds of the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa.
One local company is helping to create the atmosphere of celebration and support during the weekend. Britten Banners & Event Solutions of Traverse City is creating a range of signs and other visuals to support the ride. While they have a nationwide roster of clients, Britten keeps a relatively low profile locally.
With NASCAR as one of their major clients, pitching in on the ride was a no-brainer.
"To have Kyle Petty and his incredible charity here in Traverse City is really, really wonderful," said Paul Britten, president and CEO of the company.
With his busy and demanding lifestyle, Petty relishes the time on the road every year to connect with friends and meet new ones -- all for a good cause.
The concept began informally when he and a few friends rode their motorcycles from one race to another. In Pied Piper fashion, the group grew from four to 30 people between North Carolina and Phoenix.
An idea quietly clicked for Petty: motor around the United States for a week every summer and raise money for charity.
"The first year, in all honesty, we just wanted to ride our motorcycles," said Petty. "Our wives got really mad at us because they didn't want to spend our one week off during the summer [on motorcycles;] that's why we came up with the idea to do it for charity."
Like the Petty racing family, the charity ride is a proven winner: the ride
has a 98 percent retention rate for riders year after year, with 95 percent of sponsors returning as well. Participants now extend to a three-mile-long caravan and have an extensive support team.
One key to success has been connecting with women and families, noted Petty.
"It started out as a guy thing and turned into a family thing, that's why I think it's survived," he said.
For Petty, exploring the country along a different route each year is a wonderful way to connect with people who resoundingly support the endeavor. He travels extensively for his racing career but somehow it's different on a bike.
"When you travel in a pack with 200 people it draws a lot of attention and you get to talk to people, everyday people, people who work hard for a living, people who care about their families and people who want to know about you," said Petty. "It gives you a totally different view of America because everything you see on the TV when you watch the nightly news is bad but when you get to talk to the people of America you see that there's a lot of good people."
"It's very humbling," he added.
Since 2004, ride proceeds have benefited the Victory Junction Gang Camp, which serves an estimated 3,000 children ages 7-15 a year who have chronic or life-threatening illnesses.
Funds from the ride defray both ongoing camp costs and also provide scholarships, which in 2007 paid for 80 campers with physical disabilities to enjoy a five-day session. Petty and the riders will visit the camp July 17 on their way to Georgia.
Petty and his wife, Pattie, founded the camp honor their son, Adam, who died in a 2000 racing accident. The first Victory Junction Gang Camp opened in 2004 in North Carolina and the Pettys have announced plans for second one in Kansas.
For more information on the Kyle Petty Ride, see www.kylepettycharityride.com. For more information on the Victory Junction Gang Camp program, see www.victoryjunction.org.
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