Benefit Harley RIDE Sunday April 11 NPR, FL

Just a quick reminder of our Benefit Ride on Sunday April 11, 2010 to be held at Gulf Coast Harley Davidson. A map is below for you to view or you can DOWN LOAD a copy of the Ride Map and print it off, or email to a friend or neighbor.

Even if you are not into Motorcycles,  please come on down and join in the festivities. This Benefit Ride is for a Great Cause as we join our Military Community here in the Tampa Bay Area in Celebrating APRIL the Month of the Military Child., and Celebrate a Hero’s Life by honoring local fallen hero, Sergeant Mike Rowe. There will be a music provided by 2’s Company (local band) along with WQYK radio station.

All the Fun starts at 10:00 AM when you can register for the Ride Event, or you can pre-register for the Motorcycle event right here on the site by using our On Line Registration Process

For more information on the Event please be sure to view our related articles:

Sergeant Mike Rowe-to be Honored at Benefit Ride

Wanted Sponsors & Participants for Harley Ride

We hope to see you there, for a fun filled day.

Sergeant Mike Rowe-to be Honored at Benefit Ride

On April 11th, 2010, Operation Hug-A-Hero® is honoring local fallen hero, Sergeant Mike Rowe, with a Motorcycle Ride and event at Gulf Coast Harley-Davidson in New Port Richey, FL.

Sergeant Mike Rowe, U.S. Army, was killed in action while deployed to Iraq in 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  He left behind his wife, Rebecca, who was six months pregnant with their child, Nevaeh.  A few weeks after Mike passed away, his wife found a poem he had written on his computer just three days before deploying. The poem was essentially a goodbye to his family. Even then he had a sense that his mission was dangerous and he might not return.

“So it has finally come, words that shant be spoken,
My life must be done, hearts must be broken.
Fear not my dearest family, for I am not alone,
I rest with many loved ones, in my eternal home.

Saddened as you must feel, I hope you do not dwell,
For the life that I lived. I lived it so well.”

Excerpt from untitled poem written by Sergeant Mike Rowe

In November 2009, Rob James, singer from the band 2′s Company, saw the poem. He was inspired and within three days he wrote “He Knew” in tribute to Sergeant Rowe.

At Operation Hug-A-Hero®’s April 11th Benefit Ride, 2′s Company will be part of the musical entertainment along with WQYK radio station.

“It is important to us to remind the community that these survivors are here, amongst them, particularly during April, the Month of the Military Child.” says Lisa Berg, Executive Director of Operation Hug-a-Hero®. “Military children are our country’s littlest heroes and they deserve all the support we can give them.”

Nevaeh Rowe, now 3 years old, recently received her Hug-A-Hero® doll courtesy of Operation Hug-A-Hero®, a 501(c)3 organization which provides durable, washable, high quality dolls with a full-length photograph of a parent to military children dealing with deployments or whose parent has paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Below are a few photos that Mike’s wife graciously shared with us.

Sgt Mike Rowe w/Family

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For more information about Operation Hug-A-Hero®, or for interview requests please contact Lisa Berg for more information, or to get involved in the April 11th Benefit Ride, please checkout our article – Wanted Sponsors & Participants for Harley Ride.

Seeking Sponsors and Participants for Harley RIDE April 11 NPR FL

Spring is on the way and OPERATION Hug-A-Hero is starting to plan for events in April celebrating Month of the Military Child.  This year Operation Hug-A-Hero will be working with Gulf Coast Harley Davidson of Tampa Bay/New Port Richey, FL, to help Sponsor a unique fund raising event RIDE.

This will be a great event to support our Military Children and Operation Hug-A-Hero. If you own a motorcycle (does not have to be a Harley), come on out and show your support during April - Month of the Military Child! On Sunday, April 11th, cruise on out to Gulf Coast Harley Davidson to join all in support of this great cause! Registration at 10am (early registration on our website or by walking in to GCHD). Just an hour run and come back to enjoy free giveaways, Live Music, Plenty of Vendors, Food and more. A special appearance by a gentleman who lost his son in the war and has turned his son’s bike into a Military Bike in Memory of him. Most importantly, you are supporting our Little Heroes left behind who are proudly waiting for their own Hero to return.

TWO ways to register for this event :

1. Select our On Line Registration Process, and pay by Credit Card or via PayPal

2. Or you can Down Load a Registration Form (below) and mail a check to OHAH:

Registration Form:

Event Flyer:

GREAT sponsorship opportunities! Become our MAIN sponsor and your company gets to lead this ride, all the media coverage surrounds YOUR name! Several levels of sponsorship available. T-shirt space, Vendor Booths, Banner space, Donate Raffle Prizes with your name on it, etc.!

Download our 2010 SPONSOR Prospectus or Contact Lisa Berg for more information!

SPONSOR Prospectus:

WRNS Radio in Jacksonville, NC sponsors Operation Hug-A-Hero

Operation Hug-A-Hero recently received sponsorship from Jacksonville North Carolina’s preeminent Country Radio Station, WRNS Radio 95.1

To let you know just how great the team at WRNS is; here is the story about how we came to be associated and sponsored by one of Jacksonville’s best radio stations, as told by our Executive Director, Lisa Berg.

I contacted Carletta Blake (radio personality and Promotions Director) and from the very beginning, I knew we made the right call to the right station! She was so interested in Operation Hug-a-Hero, energetic, genuine and a wealth of information about putting something like this together for us – first timers. What was great about that 1st call is she put me on hold a couple times and the on hold music was her on air! Talk about a multi-tasker!. We secured our main sponsors for each event, Sportsman’s Lodge and Accent Real Estate. Tricia, her friend and their children drove an hour to the station for the recording. The kids were excited and had so much fun recording it. Tommy Garrett “who hosts the WRNS afternoon slot from 3-7 PM”, came out and welcomed them and then said hello to them on air on their way home! They were all playing “radio announcer” for several days after that.

The radio spot started playing on air on Tuesday October 6, 2009 and will play at various times throughout the day leading up to our event on October 24, 2009. Now if that was not enough to support our cause and our Military Families, Carletta and her team from WRNS Radio will be producing a live broadcast from the event. This is one Radio station that goes above and beyond the call the duty in our books. We can’t wait. And if you have not heard the wonderful spot they completed, well… we happen to have copy right here on our site for your listening pleasure, courtesy of WRNS. Just click in the link below to play.

WRNS Operation Hug a Hero Mixdown

If you want to attend the festivities and hear some of T-H-E best Country music played this side of the Mason Dixon line, then you have but one of two things to do and we hope you will do both. Dial up your radio to 95.1 FM WRNS radio or better yet, come on down and join in the fun for the entire family. For more information about the Motorcycle Ride for Operation-Hug-A-Hero and Children’s Bicycle Rodeo, be sure to check our post.

• Operation Hug-A-Hero Harley Ride &  Kids Bicycle Rodeo: Jacksonville, NC – October 24, 2009