Beech Grove, IN (April 16, 2020) — Bikersinc has received an in kind donation of hand sanitizer to our organization. Produced by Mansfield-King of Indianapolis, these are personal sized bottles and contain 71% Ethyl Alcohol.
They bottles of hand sanitizer are currently being distributed to various veterans groups, local community organizations and other high risk groups and individuals.
We recently received an in kind donation of locally produced 71% Ethyl Alcohol hand sanitizer to our organization. They are currently being dispersed to several local community groups that are directly involved with veterans and high risk individuals. pic.twitter.com/yiZ4tLtKyB
Lincoln, Nebraska (October 18, 2019) — Sam Aughe is from Crete, Nebraska, bu has been all over the United States in his everyday car, though, his travels are nothing of the ordinary.
This vehicle has seen 73 thousand miles, and has shared over 32 hundred smiles.
It is not yet done with its life journey.
It is a patriotic testament to those who have lived and died and have served their country as they see it.
"Say, the car isn't about me, it's about what it stands for," Owner and Vietnam Veteran, Sam Aughe said. "There's names inside and outside."
The vehicle has gone all over the states, and with it, collected over 32 hundred plus signatures and names of servicememers- most of those from the military, and some of those from Police and Fire departments.
"...Names from the civil war, world war one world war two, Korea, Vietnam, the stuff in the middle east," Aughe said.
All of the names came with a story to tell.
"Some of the stories, i wish i could remember them all, are heartbreaking. I had a girl sign it a couple years ago. Her brother introduced her to the guy she married. They were both killed by the same IED in Iraq. When she signed it, the bodies were not back yet," Aughe said.
"We end up getting a lot of hugs. They're either 6ft 10in, all dressed up in leather sweaty bikers, or sweet old women just crying. It brings people closure," Aughe's grandson and successor to the vehicle, John Parks said.
The first name on it is Sam's friend he lost in the Vietnam war.
"If I could sleep, this would never happen, but it just came to me in the middle of the night. I can tell you the first name that was on it, and that's Bob Rose, killed in action December 24th, 1969," Aughe said.
The last name will remain a mystery.
Aughe says this project is an extension of his personal journey, and will be passing the car and its responsibility on to his grandson when Sam can no longer drive.
He said he doesn't want it to be pretty, but just a simple reminder of those who risked their lives to serve their country.
If you're interested in inviting the vehicle to a memorial service, you can contact Sam Aughe at 402-418-8329.
Anderson, IN (September 10, 2019) — More than three dozen wooden memorials mark places motorcyclists have died in crashes across Madison County and remind drivers to be mindful on the road.
For the last three years, nonprofit Madison County Biker Died Here has built and erected wooden memorials for fallen bikers to help ease the minds of families who’ve lost their loved ones.
Nathan and Andrea Pershing said they lost their son Ridge Pershing, 18, at on May 31 at South Scatterfield Road and 53rd Street.
“It was Friday evening. He was just driving straight down the road and had a car turn in front of him, and we don’t know if he didn’t see the car or if the car was turning at the last minute,” said Nathan Pershing. “He didn’t have a chance to do anything, but he hit the side of the car and lost his life.”
Josh Shepler, 36, was killed on 38th Street on the same day. His father, Steve Shepler, told News 8 that he was hit by a trailer.
“He only worked 4-5 miles from his house. On his way (to work), a vehicle went to turn into a trailer port here in town and didn’t see him and he T-boned her,” Shepler said.
The nonprofit raises money through various rides and events throughout the year to memorialize fallen bikers. They ride together where the accidents have happened to pay their respects and erect the memorials. So far, 41 memorials dot the county.
“Thankfully, within just a day or two, we started getting notifications from this group saying ‘We’ve got this, we’re gonna take care of this. We don’t know your son, but he means a lot to us,'” Nathan Pershing said.
“There were roughly 150 people on the ride and between those 150 people, the biking community raised $9,000 for the club. That’s the biker community,” Shepler said.
“I lost my son on a bike, but these people right here they would do anything for you and to me, people should look up to these people,” Brandy Neff said.
The memorials have brought comfort to families and awareness for drivers.
“Every time I drive by that intersection I take a second to myself and I say, ‘Man I love you, buddy. I miss you dearly,'” Nathan Pershing said. “It’s great to be able to drive by it and see it, but it’s really a shame that we have to.”
The Pershings hope their son’s memorial is a reminder for those behind the wheel.
“Watch what’s going on around you, take the second look. Everybody seems to be in such a big hurry nowadays,” Shepler said.
Greenwood, IN (May 13, 2019) — A Greenfield, Indiana man that runs an organization that restores veterans gave markers in Indiana was in Greenwood Saturday. He was assisting a veterans group with cleaning century-old grave markers belonging to Civil War Veterans.
Raymond R. Brown, a disabled veteran of the Vietnam war dedicates his time to restoring Veteran markers in cemeteries throughout Indiana. He is the director for Mission Restore Bronze Indiana and restores Veteran Markers at no charge whatsoever to the family.
Raymond R. Brown of Mission: Restore Bronze Indiana (Photo: Jim Floyd)
On this particular day, he brought his trailer and equipment to Greenwood to assist the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
Every year, on the second Saturday in May, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Benjamin Harrison Camp No. 356 clean gravestones at historic cemeteries around central Indiana. Most members of the organization, whose main focus is educational programming, have ancestors who served in the war.
The SUVCW is a fraternal organization dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of heroes who fought and worked to save the Union. Organized in 1881 and chartered by Congress in 1954, it is the legal successor to the Grand Army of the Republic.
Raymond R. Brown of Mission: Restore Bronze Indiana travels all over Indiana (Photo: Jim Floyd)
This year, Mike Beck, a member of the Benjamin Harrison chapter and former state commander, recommended a graveyard minutes from his home — the old Greenwood Cemetery off Main Street, just west of U.S. 31. He visited the cemetery to check on the condition of two Civil War cannons, and realized many of the gravestones nearby could use some work.
Together, six men in their 40's, 50's and 60's spent much of the day on their hands and knees scrubbing and treating 25 to 40 Civil War gravestones throughout the cemetery. They also had plans to reset one or two that had sunk into the ground or fallen over.
Raymond R. Brown of Mission: Restore Bronze Indiana maneuvers around around gravestones (Photo: Jim Floyd)
Most of the men who help clean and restore the gravestones have gone through a Department of Natural Resources course on cemetery and stone restoration, he said. They learn how to clean and reset stones without causing any harm to the historic markers.
“We try to be as gentle as we possibly can,” said Tim Beckman, Department of Indiana commander for the SUVCW. Using nylon materials — gloves, brushes and scrapers — they removed algae and dirt from the old stones, then rinsed them with D-2, a special solution that’s used in national cemeteries.
Bikersinc wants you to get involved with something awesome and make a difference in the lives of our Veterans, our Youth and we are looking for great minds to help achieve our goals. As a driven Non-Profit, we are committed to the community with our programs.
Our current volunteers have logged many long hours, made countless phone calls and have elevated us to where we are now, to those volunteers we thank you one and all!
That was then and this is now. We have upped the goal and want to involve you, the Bikers, the Moms & Dads, the Veterans, and anyone in between.
We want the Movers and the Shakers, the ones that can see what we see and want to be involved with our programs.
Are you ready to put your skills to work and make a difference in our community?
To learn about what we do, be sure and visit our About Bikersinc section and where we impact folks in the Midwest. For more information about our volunteer opportunities, visit Bikersinc.org/Volunteer for our current list.
Indianapolis, IN (August 25, 2018) Bikersinc News —As part of our regional expansion, several positions are now being implemented with some appointed by the Board of Directors. President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer are all elected officers, along with two additional elected members, who are not officers.
For a full list of the current Staff positions and requirements, please visit the link Bikersinc.org/Staff for a full explanation. Note, all positions are unpaid.
