Press Release: Harley-Davidson Revs up Its Support For 31st Annual Bikers Roundup
Source: PR-Net
MILWAUKEE (July 30, 2008) – The roaring sounds of motorcycle engines will be heard in Greensburg, PA from July 30 through August 2 as thousands of motorcyclists and enthusiasts make their way to the 31st Annual National Bikers Roundup. An estimated 150,000 African American motorcyclists from around the country make it an annual ritual to attend the event to reconnect and commune with fellow motorcyclists and to celebrate the history and rich culture African Americans have shared for motorcycles and the sport of motorcycling.
MILWAUKEE (July 30, 2008) – The roaring sounds of motorcycle engines will be heard in Greensburg, PA from July 30 through August 2 as thousands of motorcyclists and enthusiasts make their way to the 31st Annual National Bikers Roundup. An estimated 150,000 African American motorcyclists from around the country make it an annual ritual to attend the event to reconnect and commune with fellow motorcyclists and to celebrate the history and rich culture African Americans have shared for motorcycles and the sport of motorcycling.
“Harley-Davidson values and embraces all opportunities to improve its relationship with diverse customers. This year marks our eleventh consecutive year of involvement with the Annual National Bikers Roundup. The event has been a great medium for us to build upon the existing relationship we have with our customers,” said Lynn Bonner, director of market outreach, Harley-Davidson.
Event attendees and their families will have the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of Harley-Davidson themed activities at the Harley-Davidson Experience area that includes:
- Harley-Davidson and Buell Free Demo Rides
- Harley-Davidson “Hot Model™” Competition
- Harley-Davidson MotorClothes Fashion Show
- Tribute to Minorities in Motorcycling Display
- Harley-Davidson Tattoo Parlor
- Women’s Riding Sessions
- Harley-Davidson Daily Drawings for Prizes
In addition to these activities, Harley-Davidson will host a meet and greet in honor of “Divas For A Cure (DFAC).” DFAC is a nonprofit organization that is currently traveling 6,000-miles across the country on motorcycles in an effort to raise money for and bring awareness of breast cancer research. Funds raised from the motorcycle run will be donated to the University of Texas M.D -Anderson Cancer Center. Harley-Davidson is a major supporter of the DFAC effort and will acknowledge the riders as they make a stop at the event.
Harley-Davidson is also proud to announce that motorcycle enthusiast and Hip Hop legend Darryl “DMC” McDaniels (of musical group “Run DMC”) is scheduled to be a special guest participating in various Harley-Davidson Experience activities such as the Harley-Davidson Fashion Show and “Hot Model™” competition. Two winners from the “Hot Model™” competition in Greensburg will compete in the finale during Harley-Davidson’s 105th Anniversary celebration in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in August 2008 for a chance to be featured in the 2009 Harley-Davidson MotorClothes catalogue.
For more information on the 31st Annual National Bikers Roundup, dates and event times, visit www.nbrkcmo.com. Media requests for interviews and photo ops with Harley-Davidson executives, DMC or Jan Emanuel from Divas For A Cure are available by contacting Charisse Browner at (323) 469.8680 ext 241
Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the only major U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, produces heavyweight motorcycles and a complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories and general merchandise. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson's Web site at www.harley-davidson.com.
In The News - The Bay State Banner
Biker 'Divas' raise funds, not hell, on cycle run
Source: http://www.baystatebanner.com/health19-2008-07-31
(From left): Divas for a Cure Aj Coffee, Elaine Thomas, Jan Emanuel-Costley, Cynthia Marcy and Michelle Hampton rode into Boston Harley-Davidson on Revere Beach Parkway in Everett last Friday. The pit stop and fundraising visit was part the riders’ 6,300-mile road trip promoting their organization’s cause: finding a cure for breast cancer. (Daniela Caride photo)
Jan Emanuel-Costley (left) and Elaine Thomas park their motorcycles in the parking lot of Boston Harley-Davidson in Everett. Their stop, a fundraising event for their nonprofit organization Divas for a Cure, is intended to promote breast cancer awareness in Greater Boston. The riders expect to raise $100,000 for research during their third annual cross-country bike trip, wrapping up Aug. 4. (Daniela Caride photo)
The noise of heavy traffic on Revere Beach Parkway in Everett suddenly gave way to the rumble and roar of dozens of motorcycles. Five women rode their bikes into the Boston Harley-Davidson parking lot, surrounded by a group of bikers clad in black and yellow jackets with “BUFFALO SOLDIERS” emblazoned on the backs. The lot quickly filled with leather, chains and attitude.
Onlookers might have thought the whole scene rolled straight out of “Easy Rider” if it weren’t for one thing: Instead of chasing the bikers, Boston and Everett police escorted them.
Flanked by boys in blue and men in black, the five “Divas for a Cure” made a stop in Greater Boston last Friday. The parking lot visit was part of a 6,300-mile road trip to promote their cause — finding a cure for breast cancer.
“We are simply ordinary women trying to do extraordinary things to impact the lives of women in our community,” says Jan Emanuel-Costley, “and change the image of women in motorcycling.”
Emanuel-Costley, a.k.a. “Sunny The Diva,” is the founder and president of Divas for a Cure. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to promoting early detection, education and screenings, as well as supporting continued research. The motorcycle run is the organization’s key fundraiser.
This year’s third annual trip started when the divas departed from Atlanta on July 16, hitting the road toward North Carolina. The trip took them to Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan, with a stop in Canada, before arriving in Massachusetts. Following their Everett stop, the riders set out for New Jersey and to the National Bikers Roundup in Greensburg, Pa. They are scheduled to return to Atlanta on Aug. 4.
Throughout the motorcycle run, the divas stop at Harley Davidson dealerships to host events where people can make donations or register to ride with the group to the next city. At the events, Emanuel-Costley says, the women raise cancer awareness by advising participants to get regular screenings, sharing their personal experiences with the illness and asking for contributions for breast cancer research.
Emanuel-Costley also matches women diagnosed with breast cancer to volunteers who have gone through the battle to bring these women emotional support.
“Our mission is simple,” says Emanuel-Costley. “Breast cancer awareness and early detection are key to survival. I am living proof.”
Now in her 25th year as a cancer survivor, Emanuel-Costley first had a brain tumor at 16. Then, at 22, she found a lump on one of her breasts and says she had to convince the doctors that it could be malignant. Three months later, she had it extracted.
“They kept saying, ‘It’s probably nothing,’” she remembers. “Had I not insisted, I probably wouldn’t be here today.”
Years later, in 1998, Emanuel-Costley was again haunted by cancer. This time, the victim was her aunt, Mary Elizabeth Clemons, who helped raise her. Before Clemons’ death two years later, Emanuel-Costley promised her she would give back to the community. One day in 2005, when someone dared her to go on a cross-country ride, she decided to found Divas for a Cure.
In the ride’s first year, the divas traveled from San Francisco to Florida, up to New York, and back. They raised $25,000. Last year, they went from Los Angeles to Maryland and back, raising $50,000. Each time, the group donated the money to breast cancer research at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
As they reached Massachusetts last Friday, the divas had already raised $44,000. They said they expect to raise around $100,000 this year.
The rewards, they noted, are not only financial.
“This journey has been a treasure of knowledge and growth,” says diva Cynthia Marcy, a.k.a. “Chicago,” a retired former employee of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “People embrace us everywhere we go.”
“It’s been a blast,” adds rider Michelle Hampton, who runs a travel agency and a truck company in Atlanta, Ga.
Emanuel-Costley, Marcy and Hampton, as well as divas Aj Coffee (“Suga Soldier”) and Elaine Thomas (“Hunter”) are enjoying the trip so much that they say they are already committed to rolling together again next year.
“In the motorcycle community, sometimes we are not as proactive about our health because we are living on the edge,” says Emanuel-Costley. “But the earlier the stage, the better your chances. Ninety-five percent of all breast cancer … is curable.”
For more information on the ride and the group’s fundraising efforts, visit www.divasforacure.org.
Source: http://www.baystatebanner.com/health19-2008-07-31
(From left): Divas for a Cure Aj Coffee, Elaine Thomas, Jan Emanuel-Costley, Cynthia Marcy and Michelle Hampton rode into Boston Harley-Davidson on Revere Beach Parkway in Everett last Friday. The pit stop and fundraising visit was part the riders’ 6,300-mile road trip promoting their organization’s cause: finding a cure for breast cancer. (Daniela Caride photo)
Jan Emanuel-Costley (left) and Elaine Thomas park their motorcycles in the parking lot of Boston Harley-Davidson in Everett. Their stop, a fundraising event for their nonprofit organization Divas for a Cure, is intended to promote breast cancer awareness in Greater Boston. The riders expect to raise $100,000 for research during their third annual cross-country bike trip, wrapping up Aug. 4. (Daniela Caride photo)The noise of heavy traffic on Revere Beach Parkway in Everett suddenly gave way to the rumble and roar of dozens of motorcycles. Five women rode their bikes into the Boston Harley-Davidson parking lot, surrounded by a group of bikers clad in black and yellow jackets with “BUFFALO SOLDIERS” emblazoned on the backs. The lot quickly filled with leather, chains and attitude.
Onlookers might have thought the whole scene rolled straight out of “Easy Rider” if it weren’t for one thing: Instead of chasing the bikers, Boston and Everett police escorted them.
Flanked by boys in blue and men in black, the five “Divas for a Cure” made a stop in Greater Boston last Friday. The parking lot visit was part of a 6,300-mile road trip to promote their cause — finding a cure for breast cancer.
“We are simply ordinary women trying to do extraordinary things to impact the lives of women in our community,” says Jan Emanuel-Costley, “and change the image of women in motorcycling.”
Emanuel-Costley, a.k.a. “Sunny The Diva,” is the founder and president of Divas for a Cure. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to promoting early detection, education and screenings, as well as supporting continued research. The motorcycle run is the organization’s key fundraiser.
This year’s third annual trip started when the divas departed from Atlanta on July 16, hitting the road toward North Carolina. The trip took them to Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan, with a stop in Canada, before arriving in Massachusetts. Following their Everett stop, the riders set out for New Jersey and to the National Bikers Roundup in Greensburg, Pa. They are scheduled to return to Atlanta on Aug. 4.
Throughout the motorcycle run, the divas stop at Harley Davidson dealerships to host events where people can make donations or register to ride with the group to the next city. At the events, Emanuel-Costley says, the women raise cancer awareness by advising participants to get regular screenings, sharing their personal experiences with the illness and asking for contributions for breast cancer research.
Emanuel-Costley also matches women diagnosed with breast cancer to volunteers who have gone through the battle to bring these women emotional support.
“Our mission is simple,” says Emanuel-Costley. “Breast cancer awareness and early detection are key to survival. I am living proof.”
Now in her 25th year as a cancer survivor, Emanuel-Costley first had a brain tumor at 16. Then, at 22, she found a lump on one of her breasts and says she had to convince the doctors that it could be malignant. Three months later, she had it extracted.
“They kept saying, ‘It’s probably nothing,’” she remembers. “Had I not insisted, I probably wouldn’t be here today.”
Years later, in 1998, Emanuel-Costley was again haunted by cancer. This time, the victim was her aunt, Mary Elizabeth Clemons, who helped raise her. Before Clemons’ death two years later, Emanuel-Costley promised her she would give back to the community. One day in 2005, when someone dared her to go on a cross-country ride, she decided to found Divas for a Cure.
In the ride’s first year, the divas traveled from San Francisco to Florida, up to New York, and back. They raised $25,000. Last year, they went from Los Angeles to Maryland and back, raising $50,000. Each time, the group donated the money to breast cancer research at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
As they reached Massachusetts last Friday, the divas had already raised $44,000. They said they expect to raise around $100,000 this year.
The rewards, they noted, are not only financial.
“This journey has been a treasure of knowledge and growth,” says diva Cynthia Marcy, a.k.a. “Chicago,” a retired former employee of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “People embrace us everywhere we go.”
“It’s been a blast,” adds rider Michelle Hampton, who runs a travel agency and a truck company in Atlanta, Ga.
Emanuel-Costley, Marcy and Hampton, as well as divas Aj Coffee (“Suga Soldier”) and Elaine Thomas (“Hunter”) are enjoying the trip so much that they say they are already committed to rolling together again next year.
“In the motorcycle community, sometimes we are not as proactive about our health because we are living on the edge,” says Emanuel-Costley. “But the earlier the stage, the better your chances. Ninety-five percent of all breast cancer … is curable.”
For more information on the ride and the group’s fundraising efforts, visit www.divasforacure.org.
July 26 -Boston to New Jersey
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Rhode Runner, President of the Rhode Island Buffalo Soldiers chapter, took over our escort.
July 25 -Niagara Falls to Boston
Friday, July 25, 2008
It was an early morning rise with a 5am departure from Niagara Falls. Fifteen miles down the road our pickup rider realized she left her passport in her hotel room, so she and Chase returned to retrieve it while the core group headed toward customs to reenter the US. The caught up as we headed to Boston, meeting up with our Buffalo Soldier escorts at a rest stop just outside the city. As we reached city limits, the escort was taken over by the State Police who provided a siren/lights escort through rush-hour traffic. As we crossed the bridge with traffic stopped on each side of our group, it brought a stream of tears each of the divas to experience such a show of support and solidarity.
July 24 - Detroit to Niagara Falls
Thursday, July 24, 2008
We left Detroit without our Road Captain due to mechanical needs for his trailer. The Michigan Buffalo Soldiers escorted the Divas into Canada, greeted at the border by the Ontario Buffalo Soldiers immediately followed by our first international media coverage. Television and newspapers reporters interviewed us as we arrived at the Thunder Roads H/D in Ontario. Our second stop was Ricky's H/D in London, where they have a WEEKLY Thursday evening ride for Breast Cancer! Rain showers welcomed us as we arrived in Niagara Falls. Our Road Captain joined us by dinnertime, and we all retired to rooms (with hot tubs) early for a much needed rest.
Divas for a Cure rolled into Windsor Thursday.
The fundraising group comprises breast cancer survivors and supporters...
http://canwest.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/canwest-windsorstar-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=starallvideo&maven_referralObject=2600472
Divas for a Cure rolled into Windsor Thursday.
The fundraising group comprises breast cancer survivors and supporters...
http://canwest.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/canwest-windsorstar-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=starallvideo&maven_referralObject=2600472
July 23 - Milwaukee to Detroit
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Escorted out of Milwaukee by Misty, we met with two Chicago Buffalo Troopers. An Indiana State Patrolman escorted our group to the Illinois State line. This was dubbed the "day of delays", with an escort's Gold Wing experiencing mechanical difficulties, followed by problems with TC's trailer. In order to make it to the H/D dealership in Detroit for the meet & greet, the Divas left the road captain and chase vehicle, and were escorted to Detroit. All was well once we pulled into the parking lot greeted by nearly 50 Buffalo Soldiers, other supports and a live radio remote with Reggie Reg. To top off a crazy day, our hotel accommodations at the Southfield Marriott were AMAZING (as was the lovely fruit basket, THANKS Heather and Ann!).
Words of Encouragement...
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
-----Original Message------
From: Szobody,Kimberley
To: Jan "Sunny" Emanuel-Costley
Sent: Jul 22, 2008 8:42 AM
Subject: Hello All
I just saw a Divas For A Cure group riding on I-69
in Fort Wayne, Indiana. As a breast cancer survivor,
(I was 32 when I was diagnosed - seven years ago) I
had to see what your organization was about!
Go Divas Go!!!! :>)
Kim Szobody
July 22 - Columbus to Milwaukee
A dark 4 am kickstands up departure during a rain storm... we had to have this experience to prove we are TRUE Divas, right? But we would have to say that Chicago got her official stripes as a Diva, as she held in there, gaining confidence with each mile and each raindrop. As we arrived at the new Harley Davidson Museum, we were greeted by huge smiles from Lynn Bonner and H/D staff. With a lunch spread awaiting the core group and our escorts, we were toured through the museum. A surprise and historic presentation to Divas For A Cure and another to the Buffalo Soldiers was the highlight of the day. A meet and greet at the House of Harley was followed by dinner with the Milwaukee Buffalo Solders.
July 21 - Louisville to Columbus
Monday, July 21, 2008
This day was one filled with prayers for comfort and gratitude. A disabled vehicle on the expressway affected our group, sending one of our pickup riders to the pavement and emergency room. With road burns on her arms, hands and leg, she was soon released to the home of local friends. The A.D. Farrow H/D provided a live band, barbeque and lots of support.
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