Hog Wild for Charity : Harley Riders Take to the Highway to Aid Orange County’s Homeless

It was a day for corporate citizens to trade in their leather briefcases for leather jackets and exchange their Ford Thunderbirds for Harley-Davidsons.

At the third annual Bikers for the Homeless ride Friday, more than two dozen business executives and other bikers pulled out of a Santa Ana motorcycle shop en route to Nevada to raise money for charity.

The Orange County participants, who included company vice presidents and marketing agents, were scheduled to meet up with about 500 others from throughout Southern California by nightfall in an effort to raise about $30,000 for homeless shelters.

The event was sponsored by Irvine-based HomeAid Orange County, a charity affiliated with the Building Industry Assn.

Organizers raise money by capitalizing on Harley owners’ love of the open road, and charge drivers a $35 registration fee to participate in a two-day series of events. Passengers are charged $20. Adding to the pot are corporate contributions.

After leaving Bikers Dream, a motorcycle shop in Santa Ana, the riders were scheduled to stop for lunch at a Harley-Davidson dealership in Victorville before ending up at Whiskey Pete’s Hotel in Jean, Nev.

There, a series of biker-friendly events, such as a poker run and bike show, are scheduled throughout the weekend to entertain riders and raise money for charity.

The poker run, for example, puts bikers along a scenic route with a series of checkpoints where they receive playing cards. At the end of the route, a trophy is awarded to the person with the best hand. The fee is $5 per hand.

Through a number of annual events, HomeAid, founded in 1989, has raised more than $4 million for transitional homeless people--those in need of shelter on a short-term basis.

Jay Blakslee, founder of the motorcycle event and a vice president at Chicago Title, said it combines his passion for motorcycles and charity.

“I took the two things I love the best and put them together,” said Blakslee, who keeps business cards tucked inside a leather pouch on his Harley gas tank.

Blakslee, 50, said that motorcycle riders have been hopping on hogs since the 1960s to raise money for charity. But he said the phenomenon has increased in recent years.

“Because of the pressures of the workplace,” he said, “it’s an opportunity for people to put their troubles and woes behind them.”

The image of the typical Harley rider also has changed, said rider Greg Schreiber, who pointed out that the abundant leather and denim were more of a weekend warrior thing.

“A lot of us here wear suits and ties Monday through Friday,” said Schreiber, who professed to driving a 1991 white Ford Thunderbird to work at First American Title Insurance Co. in Santa Ana.

Indeed, it may take a hefty salary to afford a new Harley, which range from $17,000 to $25,000.

And lest anyone forget that corporate America was not far from Friday’s event, Taco Bell provided free breakfast burritos to riders. Others contributing money included Bikers Dream and Chicago Title.

One of the youngest riders leaving out of Santa Ana was 10-year-old Jena Blevins of Newport Beach, whose mom, Carolyn, had taken her out of school for the ride.

“We checked with the teacher,” said the elder Blevins. “She said, ‘Have fun. We’ll take care of everything, like the spelling test, Monday.’ ”

Jena said the reaction from her friends was unanimous: “You’re so lucky.”