For Kiwanis’ Eliminate Project, one ride leads to another
On Sept. 2, 2013, members of the Kiwanis Club of La Cañada-AM honored a pretty momentous occasion.
They celebrated the return of member Bob Burlison, a motorcycle-loving attorney and Kiwanian, from a 96-day, 13,500-mile road ride through the 48 continental U.S. states to raise money for Kiwanis International’s effort to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus.
They also celebrated that the ride, called the Kiwanis Unity Ride to Eliminate (KURE) 2013, had broken a Guinness World Record for longest continuous ride in one country.
Now, Kiwanis-AM members are gearing up for KURE2015, and will convene Oct. 11 for a prelude to the big event.
Next Saturday, Burlison will lead a pack of motorcyclists on a 400-mile round trip ride to Filipponi Ranch Cellars winery in San Luis Obispo, where the group will enjoy a concert and barbecue and tour the boutique winery tour.
“The purpose of this is to, obviously, go for a motorcycle ride,” he joked.
Consider it a warm-up to KURE2015, another cross-country event intended to raise funds and awareness of Kiwanis International’s Eliminate Project against tetanus. That ride, organized by Burlison and Dream Catchers, a group of Kiwanian motorcycle enthusiasts, begins in April and is set to end on June 24 at the 100th Kiwanian convention in Indianapolis.
Unlike Burlison’s 2013 feat, next year’s ride will be led by several people, with motorcycle-riding Kiwanians across the nation participating in a 48-state contiguous relay.
Their “relay baton” will be a backpack containing a camera that will allow them to record each leg of the journey, says Burlison, who plans to start the journey with a ride through the West Coast states.
Any proceeds generated by Burlison’s rides go toward the Eliminate Project, which is partnering with Kiwanis and UNICEF to raise $110 million to fight children’s tetanus worldwide. Although many American children are vaccinated, the bacterial disease claims 60,000 babies’ lives worldwide each year, according to the Eliminate Project.
“I’m proud to support the Eliminate Project every time I ride my motorcycle,” Burlison said. “To me, I’m being significant in the life of a child and a community.”
Members of the La Cañada-AM Kiwanis Club are passionate about the project, says President Joe Thompson. That’s why, when Burlison expressed his desire to plan KURE2013, members pitched in to help.
“Bob got people enlightened about the Eliminate Project with his enthusiasm and dedication,” Thompson said. “There were people who’d never heard about [it], but when Bob got there, they got enthusiastic and jumped on board.”
Burlison says he wants to reach out to younger service-minded people with a message that Kiwanis Club is about much more than meetings. The rides, he adds, are evidence that individuals are encouraged to bring their personal passions to bear there.
“We hope that what this is doing is advertising the fact that Kiwanians can do some fun things,” he said. “It’s a good, hard-working group.”
On Monday, a handful of members joined Burlison to film a clip for a DVD the group hopes to create. Documenting portions of KURE2013, they hope the clip is something that could be used to reach out to potential new members.
Under the direction of Jim Carbonetti of 3D Blast, they read four tag lines aloud.
“Be significant,” they shouted in unison before waiting for their next cue. “Join the Kiwanis Club. Do something for someone else.”
Then, looking at the camera, with Burlison in the middle, they pointed their fingers out to Carbonetti and then up to the sky.
“What’s your one thing?” they asked.
