When these boys roll in town they turn heads with their noisy black and fire-engine red special edition Harley Davidson motorcycles. So do they when they get a police escort out of Omaha to kick start their journey on an annual poker run. The Wind & Fire Motorcycle Club of Omaha is in its ninth year of bringing together up to100 bikers on a quest to benefit a youth burn camp offered by Saint Elizabeth.

“MC” from Omaha coordinates the annual fundraiser and calls himself “Mr. Microphone.” Watch out for Mr. Microphone because he is full of surprises. He may make fun of your clothes, your hair, or tell a good-natured joke about you. He’s even surprised his fiancée, now wife, with a marriage proposal about five years ago at a poker run. It’s all in good fun to drum up excitement and proceeds for the Omaha Wind & Fire’s poker run.

The Wind & Fire Motorcycle Club is comprised of current and retired firefighters who ride Harley Davidsons. However, you don’t have to own a Harley to ride in their event; you just have to care about the cause and offer your support. The Wind & Fire Motorcycle Club’s poker run is family-friendly and has participants from several riding clubs who all make stops at several volunteer fire departments around southeast Nebraska. “We want to keep our event safe,” MC said. “In addition, those little towns get a kick out of seeing all the bikes pull up,” he added. 

Why all the activities and commotion? MC says it is all about the kids; and no one cares more about the cause than these firemen who have witnessed the affects of burn trauma first-hand. “We figure that we would never want kids to have to pay their way. They should just not have to pay.” Because of Wind & Fire Motorcycle Club’s support, Saint Elizabeth is able to offer burn camps to youth affected by burn at no cost to the children’s families.  The burn camps offer kids an opportunity to experience the outdoors and enjoy each camaraderie of other burn survivors.

 

Click here for the Saint Elizabeth Foundations page.