4th Annual Ride for Barton to Raise Money for Diabetes Center

Friday, August 31, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Four years ago Joe Hamm knew nothing about the Barton Diabetes Center nor motorcycles. Now he is leading an ever-growing charity motorcycle ride to benefit the Center where his son attends summer camp.

The 4th Annual Ride for Barton on September 16th is a 70 mile police escorted charity motorcycle ride for the Barton Center for Diabetes Education. Hamm learned about the Center when his son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and began camping at Barton.

"It's a really great camp for kids with diabetes," Hamm said. "It's just like any other camp. They swim, go fishing, play soccer and basketball, but every kid there has Type 1 diabetes. It's a great program."

Hamm was amazed by the camp and its ability to teach the children to manage their diabetes, while having trained professional on staff to handle any situation that arose. But, he also knew that attending a camp that well staffed is too expensive for most families.

So, he decided to do something for the Center's "Campership Fund." This fund, which goes toward helping other children with Type 1 diabetes get the Barton camp experience, will receive all proceeds from the ride.

Still, why did someone that had never ridden a motorcycle decide to begin a 70 mile ride?

"I went to the people at Barton, and I wanted to do a charity golf tournament or something," Hamm said. "But they told me there used to be a motorcycle ride that was pretty popular. So I started it back up. Jake Cutler at Barnstorm Cycles really helped us out, and the second year I even bought my own bike… I'm a regular rider now."

Barnstorm Cycles is also one of the ride's "Gold" sponsors, along with CMSC Auto/Motorcycle School, McKenna Insurance, the Leicester Police Association, AgaMatrix and the Steel Horse Sisters.

"The Steel Horse Sisters came to the ride one year and called me afterward to tell me what a great time they had," Hamm said. "They began to do some research on the cause and really got into it. They had a biker bash of sort this summer and were able to raise four or five thousand dollars for the ride this year. It's a group of great Central Mass ladies that love to ride, and I can't say enough about the things they've done for us."

There will also be live music, food and a car show after the ride is over.

The ride is set to begin on September 16th at 10 am. Registration begins at 8:45. For more information on how you can participate, click here.