OFF THE WIRE
ORLANDO --
A charity motorcycle ride created some traffic issues for
those traveling on Interstate 4 Sunday.
The ride began at 11:45 a.m. from
Downtown Disney and traveled eastbound on I-4 from Apopka-Vineland Road (exit
68) to Conroy Road (exit 78).
With his long ponytail and leather vest
covered in biker patches, John Paul Lilly may have looked out of place amongst
the crowds at Walt Disney World.
But he was in good company Sunday
morning as he stood amongst hundreds of fellow bikers waiting in a parking lot
at Downtown Disney.
“It’s quite a turnout,” he said as he looked at the
throngs of people clad in black leather, “What it tells me is people want to
fight child abuse.”
He and hundreds of fellow bikers were there to sign
up for the Tri-County Chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse benefit ride. The
group provides support to victims of child abuse by raising money for programs
that help young victims.
“Our job is to empower children,” said Lilly, a
social worker from Utah who founded Bikers Against Child Abuse. “That’s our one
mission, our one goal is to empower children.”
Hundreds of bikers who
paid between $5 and $10 in donations hopped on their motorcycles and left Disney
World for a drive up I-4.
Escorted by the police, the bikers flooded the
highway, which was briefly closed down to other traffic.
“It’s an
incredible rush. It’s almost like an army moving at one time. Everyone in one
purpose, in sync, for one cause,” said Kevin Seidl, a biker who participated in
the charity ride.
The trip up the interstate ended at a Harley-Davidson
dealership just off Conroy Road in Orlando.
Bikers gathered there for an
after-party Sunday afternoon.
Fundraising totals for the charity ride
were not immediately available late Sunday afternoon.
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