Road Riders Search for Funds to Help Battered Women

The phrase “charity fund-raiser” might inspire images of white-gloved women in Adolfo suits sipping white wine spritzers and nibbling chicken salad.

But the American Women Road Riders’ Alliance shattered that stereotype Sunday when it sponsored a motorcycle scavenger hunt to raise money to help battered women.

The attire for the day included well-worn denim jeans, black boots and long-sleeved plaid shirts.

The drinks of choice were soda pop and beer--out of the can, of course.

And there were no valets to park the Mercedes-Benzes or the Jaguars. At this fund-raiser the participants preferred to park their own massive Suzukis, oversized Yamahas and hulking Harley Davidsons.

The bikers had come together to raise money for the California Coalition for Battered Women in one of the events that kicked off national Battered Women Awareness Week.

There was also a secondary purpose for the gathering--to show the world that underneath the emblem-filled leather jackets, the denims and the tough looks, bikers are people too.

“We want to improve the image of bikers,” said Courtney Caldwell, president of Alliance and organizer of the fund-raiser. “We want people to know that bikers are just everyday, working people.”

The festivities began early Sunday morning when about 30 cyclists arrived at a Sepulveda motel to pay the $10 registration fee and receive the list of articles they were supposed to find.

The list included a Hells Angels T-shirt, a 1964 “D” dime, a pair of false teeth, a hubcap from a 1964 Mustang and an unpaid speeding ticket.

At noon, after searching for three hours, the bikers guided their vehicles into Woodley Avenue Park where their booty was catalogued by Caldwell.

Organizers of the event awarded a value of 5, 10 or 15 points to each item on the list. The greater the degree of difficulty in finding the object, the higher the number of points.

Competitive bikers were not shy about pulling their false teeth out of their mouths for the judges, just in case an additional five points would give their team the winning edge.

“Isn’t it interesting how many people brought in unpaid speeding tickets?” cracked Karen Walbridge as her team’s finds were inventoried.

After J.C. Parrish, an original member of the 1950s singing group “The Platters” sang a medley of patriotic songs, the group began eating barbecue, swapping road stories and talking about the serious side of why they were spending a sunny Sunday raising money for battered women.

“It’s not very often that you can do something that you like and help somebody at the same time. This is one way we can do both,” said Ketty Sorensen.

The American Women Road Riders’ Alliance was formed last January and Caldwell estimates there are 250 members nationwide. The organization is composed of “professional and goal-oriented women who are also bikers,” Caldwell said.

The local group hoped to raise about $2,000 from the motorcycle scavenger hunt.

Donating the money to help battered women has a special meaning for Caldwell, who said that she was once a battered wife.

“I promised myself that if I could get past those experiences that I would do something to help other women who have been battered,” Caldwell said. “This isn’t much, but it will mean a lot for people who really need help.”