On September 12, 2009, Chamberlain Lake Campground owners Michael Reed and Roland Soucy presented the first “Hope, Strength & Joy Ride” to benefit the Connecticut Foundation of Make-A-Wish. T-shirts commemorating the event were given to motorcycle enthusiasts who registered at Chamberlain Lake Campground in Woodstock, Connecticut. The donation fee per biker was $20.00 and $10.00 per rider. Pastries, coffee, orange juice and bottled water were served after registration and a cookout followed the benefit ride.

National Scenic Byway Route 169

Sixteen charitable motorcyclists and riders braved cloudy skies to go on the benefit ride, which began from the Chamberlain Lake Campground parking lot on Route 197. They proceeded along National Scenic Byway Route 169, paralleling the Quinebaug River and crossing into the historic villages of Pomfret, Brooklyn and Canterbury. Riders then followed bright yellow trail markers to Routes 138 and 97, Morey Road and Route 198. in all, they drove 68 miles of roads less traveled in Windham and New London Counties and enjoyed views of rolling hills, rural farmlands and rock walls before ending back in Woodstock at Chamberlain Lake Campground. Following the Hope, Strength & Joy Ride was a cookout of hotdogs and hamburgers donated by Bogner Meats, classic rock tunes performed by Time Machine, a 50/50 drawing and raffle prizes.

Charlie Ziegler from Eastford CT

“The point of the Joy Ride is to raise money for Make-A-Wish to grant a wish to Connecticut children with life-threatening medical conditions,” said Michael Reed. “Some seasonal campers who also ride motorcycles came up with the idea to have a motorcycle benefit ride about a month ago,” he said. “The name of the event is a play on the Make-A-Wish Foundation mission statement ‘to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.’”

Reed expected this year’s event to simply be about working the kinks out, since the ride was organized on such short notice. However, he is pleased to announce that the first Chamberlain Lake Joy Ride generated over $1,100 in net proceeds to benefit Make-A-Wish. Combined with previous donations of $3,000, this fundraiser helped Chamberlain Lake Campground surpass its goal of raising $5,000 for Make-A-Wish by the end of this year’s camping season,” said Reed.

Already Chamberlain Lake Campground is organizing next year’s event — which is scheduled to be Saturday, Sep. 11, 2010. They decided to keep the date the same, which is the weekend following the Woodstock State Fair. “Now that we’ve got the Hope, Strength & Joy Ride for Make-A-Wish started, next year we’re going to make it a bigger deal,” Reed said.

For more information about the bike run benefit, visit Chamberlain Lake Campground on http://www.chamberlainlakecampground.net.

Kickstand Alley’s creator Kerry Atkins and her husband Bill are seasonals at Chamberlain Lake Campground in Woodstock, Connecticut. They helped the Campground owners organize the first Hope, Strength & Joy Ride for Make-A-Wish.