Biker Church Roanoke was doing their “thing”—riding motorcycles last week as well as volunteering for the Ride Against Domestic Violence Poker Run and silent auction fundraiser for Sabrina’s Place. The group gathered at the Roanoke Civic Center parking lot where bikes rumbled off to their various destinations to pick up cards for their poker hand in an effort to win a prize.
The poker run was organized by Sara Anderson (daughter of Lyle Anderson, pictured) as part of an internship for a class at Radford University. She worked in conjunction with the program TAP Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Program (TSVSEP), which is also known as Sabrina’s Place, named for Sabrina Reed, a nurse who was killed by her husband as they met for just such an exchange nearly six years ago.
Sabrina’s Place provides services that promote the opportunity for both adult and child victims of domestic violence to have safe and secure supervised visitations and exchanges. Biker Church members took registrations, and helped with the event, which was open to anyone who wanted to ride.
By early afternoon people were scrambling to hold onto the tent and papers as the wind kicked up and another kind of rumbling—a lot of thunder —warned of a fast-approaching storm about to sweep through the area. In spite of the interruption, at last word, the ride raised about $2700.
The Biker Church folks, who meet every Wednesday at 7 at Layman Church for “Wisdom, Worship, Ride Planning” are vigilant but laid back in their pursuit of welcoming bikers to the faith. The answer to their “most asked question” Do I have to be a biker to attend?” is: “No, you just need to be cool with the fact that most of us are.” It’s a brotherhood of bikers who gather to worship, support one another, and to lend their time and effort to help others, like Sabrina’s Place.
As the last few bikes revved up and quickly departed to avoid the large drops of rain that began to fall, there may have been one or two car drivers watching that wished they could hop on the back of somebody’s Harley…
For more information visit bikerchurchroanoke.com or tapintohope.org/programs/sabrinaplace.