By Andrew Scott
Pocono Record Writer
June 30, 2008
As a New Jersey high school student in 1976, Elaine Thomas terrified her father when she bought her first motorcycle, a Kawasaki, from a neighbor.
Since then, Thomas, now a Nazareth resident retired from the Department of Corrections, has always owned a two-wheel steel horse. Her current ride is a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy.
Thomas is one of the Divas For A Cure, four women leading a volunteer nonprofit effort to raise both public awareness on breast cancer and funding for research to find a cure. Like Thomas, the other three Divas are motorcyclists.
This will be her first year taking part in the Divas' annual Breast Cancer Motorcycle Run, a 6,000-mile round-trip ride, starting July 19, from Morrow, Ga., to Ontario, Canada, and back again.
The Divas stop at various Harley-Davidson dealerships and other locations along their route, distributing literature and information about breast cancer, warning signs and the importance of getting breast exams early. They also invite other motorcyclists to ride with them in support of the cause for however far the others want to ride.
"I'm so excited about this ride I can't think straight," said Thomas. "It's a chance to do something I enjoy doing for a purpose and to honor the memories of those I've lost (aunt and grandmother) to breast cancer."
Thomas, whose Diva nickname is "Hunter," joined the organization after meeting Divas founder Jan "Sunny" Emanuel-Costley in Maryland during an interstate road trip with friends. Soon after, she met fellow Divas A.J. "Suga Soldier" Coffee and Cynthia "Chicago" Marcy.
Each Diva has her own fundraising page on the Web sites, www.divasforacure.org and www.realdivasride.com, which direct visitors on pledging tax-deductible donations.
"We have sort of a (friendly) competition going between the four of us to see who can raise the most," Thomas said, smiling.
Last year's effort raised a total of $50,000, which went to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas. The Divas aim to top that amount this year.
The Divas will make two stops on the way down to Morrow, Ga., from where the annual benefit round-trip ride starts July 19. The first will be July 12 from noon to 4 p.m. at Barb's Harley-Davidson in West Collingswood Heights, N.J., and the next will be July 16 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Harley-Davidson of Greensboro in Greensboro, N.C.
Thomas also is a probationary member of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club's Pocono Mountains chapter.
The club, which has chapters in communities across the country, honors the memory of the Buffalo Soldiers, an all-African-American military unit formed by the federal government after the Civil War and credited with helping civilize the western frontier. The club serves as a social network, with its chapters involved in community volunteer work and fundraisers to support various causes.
Buffalo Soldiers club chapters will escort the Divas and any other motorcyclists riding with them as they pass from state to state.
"We pay all trip-related expenses for ourselves, including nightly hotel stays, out of our own pockets," Thomas said. "That's a total of more than 20 hotel stays for the entire trip. We make anyone else who rides along with us aware that they will have to pay their own way."
As they do every year, the Divas will have a driver following them, towing a trailer equipped for emergencies such as breakdowns or accidents. This year, the driver will be Thomas' husband, Les Thomas, who also is a motorcyclist.
"I feel so enthusiastic about this trip," Elaine Thomas said. "I just look forward to the camaraderie of people riding together and doing it for a cause."
Those wishing to donate to breast cancer research through the Divas can visit their Web sites or send checks to: P.O. Box 1256, Brown Mills, N.J., 08015. Those wishing to ride with the Divas can contact Emanuel-Costley at (609) 997-0695 or (510) 891-2300.
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