by Jeani G.

The 28th annual Bruce Rossmeyer Ride for Children was held on Sunday, December 11th. Usually in October, this year’s ride was postponed due to Hurricane Ian. Over four hundred riders participated in the police-escorted ride from Destination Daytona in Ormond Beach to Camp Boggy Creek in Eustis, including a large group of New Smyrna HOG Chapter members. This was the first-year post Covid epidemic that the camp opened its gates once again to the riders who give so generously. And the camp is an amazing place to visit.

This amazing event raised over $419,000 for Camp Boggy Creek, a non-profit camp that enables children with serious illnesses to enjoy an unforgettable camp experience where they can have fun, make new friends and just be kids! Bruce Rossmeyer was one of the founders of the camp and the Rossmeyer family has incredibly raised over $6 million dollars since the event began! It was great to see Bruce’s wife Sandy and daughters Shelly and Mandy, and many other family members as well, enjoying the day’s festivities.

A delicious lunch was donated and served by Outback Steakhouse, while S.R Perrott, Miller Lite and Coca-Cola provided the beverages. Live entertainment by Are Friends Electric kept the enthusiastic crowd rockin’ and singing, while the silent auction had everyone amazed with its abundance of fabulous and unique items to bid on.

The crowd joined in to sing happy birthday to John Hamlin, who is the presenting sponsor of the event, and in a very touching moment, John presented a huge $100,000 check to Sandy Rossmeyer for Camp Boggy Creek.

In the memorable words of Bruce himself, “It’s all about the kids!” This is definitely one of the best fundraising events to be a part of…if you couldn’t make it this time, we hope you can join us next year! We’d like to welcome Teddy Morse, new owner of Daytona Harley-Davidson, as he will continue to participate with the Rossmeyers in the Camp Boggy Creek ride.