Big G Express driver's Motorcycle Ride draws 148 bikes, raises $25,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
By Al Muskewitz
It takes a lot to impress Tim Chelette. Suffice to say impressed doesn’t even come close to describing the way he felt this past weekend.
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The Mufreesbroro, Tenn. trucker has organized the Big G Express Motorcycle Ride to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for five years now and this year’s ride May 30 was the best ever.
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The ride drew 148 bikes and, with the addition of a late donation at the start of the week, raised $25,000 – both all-time records. He was hoping under the climate of the times to raise $10,000, but actually beat the old single-year record by more than that target amount, bringing in more than three-quarters of what they had raised in the first four years combined.
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“I was really blown away by the amount of people who showed up and willing to give like they did,†Chelette said. “This ride is getting bigger each year, but I think a lot of people were ready to get out and do some good about all the negative going on now. I really think people were ready to turn the page and do something positive.â€
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Last year’s ride drew 85 bikes, so this year he hoped to hit 100. A volunteer counted the participants as they wheeled into the staging area at Big G Express’ terminal in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., and no sooner had he hollered over that they’d hit the century mark another 15 riders pulled into the yard. “And they kept coming,†Chelette said.
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The ride has now raised a total of $56,000 for the hospital in five years. There’s an anonymous $5,000 gift and a donation by Big G Express included in this year’s total. The riders gave and an auction raised even more. A patriotic-themed quilt hand-sewn by Chelette’s sister Dee Jeansonne was the big item, fetching $380. A handcrafted knife by Kentucky knifesmith Zachary Staples brought in $285, and a planter donated by Jack Daniel Distillery went for $250. Even a four-inch brown squirrel figurine Chelette picked up in a Lynchburg, Tenn., novelty shop went for $60, proving he’ll auction off anything for a good cause.
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“I’m just glad to be a part of it,†he said. “I may be at the start of it, but it ends with the people who show up and donate and donate online.â€
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The route for the ride was the same as its been the previous two years, a 110-mile trek through the scenic backroads of Middle Tennessee, ending in Monteagle. Chelette is in no hurry to change it. That’s part of its charm and success as well.
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“I’ve gotten so many compliments off this ride,†he said. “Everybody says we ride this once a year, I wouldn’t change it a bit; I enjoy it so much I’d leave it like it is.â€
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Al Muskewitz is Editor of Wright Media. He can be reached at musky@wrightmediacorp.com
Click here for more information, including driving jobs, on Big G Express
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