Rich Rovito
bizjournals.com
Harley-Davidson Motor Co. will celebrate Military Appreciation Month throughout November and beyond with a number of efforts to show its support and gratitude for the men and women in the military.
The heavyweight motorcycle manufacturer will collect donations at its nearly 650 dealerships throughout the country on behalf of the United Service Organizations through Dec. 31. The donations will be used to assemble care packages for troops overseas. The company is also challenging its Harley Owners Group chapters in the United States to raise $500 each for the Operation USO Care Package program.
“We want to show our support for those living away from home and protecting our country.” said Mike McCann, director of core customer and military marketing for Harley-Davidson.
Harley-Davidson also will be hosting a military-only concert by the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in San Diego on Dec. 1, with nearly all of the tickets being given to select soldiers at nearby bases.At the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, all current and previous military members and their immediate families (one additional adult and up to four children under age 18) will receive free admission on Nov. 5-6.
Finally, Harley-Davidson announced that its support of the USO will extend through the end of next year. Every care package distributed by the USO in 2012 will include a pair of tickets to the Harley-Davidson Museum — approximately 250,000 tickets in total.
“We’re incredibly grateful for Harley-Davidson’s support of our efforts to lift the spirits of our brave men and women serving overseas by providing them with care packages that, among other things, offer a touch of home and a way to connect with their families,” said USO senior vice president and chief development officer Kelli Seely.
Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson Motor Co. is a unit of Harley-Davidson Inc.