Long Moto Ride: Enriching The Lives of Veterans
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Every year has a story and this is where ours begins. My adopted K9 sidekick, Lucky Louie, we left from Tucson together on March 23rd, to circumnavigate the U.S. borders via motorcycle and sidecar. It’s an eight month journey, navigating over fifteen thousand miles, a route that leads us through twenty eight states. Our mission: Enriching The Lives of America’s Military Veterans.
The inspiration behind this mission comes directly from the amazing Veterans I’ve been lucky enough to meet over the last few years. I’ve had the pleasure of spending a winter volunteering at the VA Hospital in Tucson where Lucky Louie and I went from room to room visiting with patients. I’ve also worked as a caterer, preparing meals for the Army National Guard for the last five years in Oregon. The common theme were the stories of personal suffering and I simply couldn’t sit back and ignore that these heroes were hurting.
Many soldiers in the hospital rarely receive a visitor. Those same people, when they enlisted years ago, were taught in boot camp to “never leave anyone behind.” I thought, why should they sit alone in their hospital rooms? The statistics of Veteran suicide (22 a day) are not talked about enough and I believe more can be done to help the men and women who have served our country. I too can relate to humans who’ve experienced traumatic events in their lives, who suffer from PTSD, depression, and anxiety and I’d like to do my part to reduce suffering in this world.
Your donations here will help create miracles and support us on this benevolent adventure, providing us the essentials: food, fuel, shelter (campgrounds/hotels) and maintenance for the motorcycle (tires, oil changes, etc). While on this journey, Lucky Louie and I are visiting VA Hospitals all around America, providing pet-therapy sessions to any and all Veterans in need.
In addition, I’ve organized thirteen Ride For The Warriors events, group motorcycle rides, in major cities along the way that benefit a local nonprofit that focuses on serving the needs of Veterans in their community. We’ve raised over $6,000 for our local partners so far and there are ten more events on the calendar. My hope is that we are able to make people more aware of the nonprofits who serve our Veterans, raise money to help each organization with the good work they’re doing, and encourage people to volunteer and visit with Veterans at VA Hospitals.
I can’t think of a more deserving group of men and women to advocate for than those who’ve served our country. Please help me shine a light on the growing suicide epidemic, PTSD, depression, anxiety, joblessness, homelessness and substance abuse that effects so many of our Veterans.
Forever grateful for your love and support,
Josh Hart & Lucky Louie
P.S. Please visit www.longmotoride.com to keep up with our journey and learn more about our partners around the country!
The inspiration behind this mission comes directly from the amazing Veterans I’ve been lucky enough to meet over the last few years. I’ve had the pleasure of spending a winter volunteering at the VA Hospital in Tucson where Lucky Louie and I went from room to room visiting with patients. I’ve also worked as a caterer, preparing meals for the Army National Guard for the last five years in Oregon. The common theme were the stories of personal suffering and I simply couldn’t sit back and ignore that these heroes were hurting.
Many soldiers in the hospital rarely receive a visitor. Those same people, when they enlisted years ago, were taught in boot camp to “never leave anyone behind.” I thought, why should they sit alone in their hospital rooms? The statistics of Veteran suicide (22 a day) are not talked about enough and I believe more can be done to help the men and women who have served our country. I too can relate to humans who’ve experienced traumatic events in their lives, who suffer from PTSD, depression, and anxiety and I’d like to do my part to reduce suffering in this world.Your donations here will help create miracles and support us on this benevolent adventure, providing us the essentials: food, fuel, shelter (campgrounds/hotels) and maintenance for the motorcycle (tires, oil changes, etc). While on this journey, Lucky Louie and I are visiting VA Hospitals all around America, providing pet-therapy sessions to any and all Veterans in need.In addition, I’ve organized thirteen Ride For The Warriors events, group motorcycle rides, in major cities along the way that benefit a local nonprofit that focuses on serving the needs of Veterans in their community. We’ve raised over $6,000 for our local partners so far and there are ten more events on the calendar. My hope is that we are able to make people more aware of the nonprofits who serve our Veterans, raise money to help each organization with the good work they’re doing, and encourage people to volunteer and visit with Veterans at VA Hospitals.
I can’t think of a more deserving group of men and women to advocate for than those who’ve served our country. Please help me shine a light on the growing suicide epidemic, PTSD, depression, anxiety, joblessness, homelessness and substance abuse that effects so many of our Veterans.Forever grateful for your love and support,
Josh Hart & Lucky Louie
P.S. Please visit www.longmotoride.com to keep up with our journey and learn more about our partners around the country!
Organizer
Josh Hart
Organizer
Bend, OR