SHAWANO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — As dozens of motorcyclists head west on State Highway 29, their mission is two-fold.
They are not only celebrating the upcoming 120th anniversary of Wisconsin’s own Harley-Davidson, but are also raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project.
After a relatively short ride from Green Bay, the motorcyclists pull into Doc’s Harley-Davidson near Bonduel in Shawano County.
“I’m going to say we rolled in with somewhere around 60 or 80 motorcycles,” said Adam Sandoval, The Great American Convoy Organizer.
Adam Sandoval says the Great American Convoy began on April 22, in northern Arkansas. More than 100 Harley-Davidson dealerships later, the group is at Doc’s to mark stop number 114.
“The front-running goal is to raise money and awareness for our veterans, and their needs,” said Sandoval.
Sandoval says meet-and-greet sessions with fans are good ways to say thanks, and raise money too. He says the event recognizes the contributions from the motorcycling community, and it gets people, many who are veterans, involved. He says motorcycle riding can be therapeutic.
“These are also things that are stopping them about thinking about things that happened behind them, and get them thinking in the moment. And seeing that there’s a community out there, who loves them, cares about them, and wants to help,” he said.
Navy Veteran Raymond “Doc” Andalio served in Iraq. He represents the Wounded Warrior Project.
“I tell you, I am a testimonial for Wounded Warrior Project. And they helped me tremendously. And they have helped many other veterans like myself,” said Raymond “Doc” Andalio, Wounded Warrior Project Alum.
Robert Stoll says his uncle served in the military, and says charity rides like the convoy have an impact.
“To help the vets, since they need help. They need a lot of help. So that’s why we’re doing this for them. It’s a good cause,” said Robert Stoll, Edgerton.
On Sunday morning, the group raised more than $11,000 in just two hours.
“When I started the Great American Convoy, I set a lofty goal of $500,000. To date, we’re just over $400,000.
So we’re very close to our goal, but we’ve only got a week left to get it done. Because on July 14, is when the whole thing ends. We’re going to meet at Uke’s Harley-Davidson down in Kenosha, and we’re going to ride into the Harley-Davidson museum and we’ll announce exactly how much money we raised for the Wounded Warrior Project,” said Sandoval.
