The Clearwater Legion Riders raised over $14,000 to help homeless veterans at their Aug. 26 fundraiser.
The 10th Annual Homeless Vets Run brings the community together for a good cause, and the Riders braved heavy rain and slippery roads to raise money for that cause.
“We had pretty good attendance considering the weather,” says Stew Erickson of the Riders. “We were expecting five to 10 motorcycles. We ended up 15 or 16 bikes and six cars.”
The group met at the Clearwater Legion for their pre-run talk. Chris and Angie Crandall played the National Anthem on the guitar and fiddle, then the riders were off, first to Bedrock Bar & Grill in South Haven, then to the Spicer Legion for lunch, to the Cold Spring Legion before heading back to Clearwater.
There, the community joined in for the grilled pork chop meal.
“It was filled up in here,” says Erickson. “You had to wait for someone to get up before you could sit down to eat.”
There were also lots of donated prizes for the silent auction and live auction. And the gun raffle brought in lots of money, too.
Erickson said this year they decided to ask for major sponsors ($500 or more) and got four: Clearwater Travel Plaza, Pleasureland in St. Augusta, Oak Realty of Annandale and French Lake Auto.
“We also took a couple of Sundays and went around to area businesses and asked for donations,” he says. “We got a lot who donated between $20 and $100.”
After the auctions and raffle the action moved outside where the crowd enjoyed a musical evening listening to Diamondback.
Erickson said it was a good turnout despite the weather, and it was all for a good cause.
Karen Olson of the Riders said the final total raised was $14,842.
Some of that will go to replenish the Riders’ emergency shelter fund, which provides housing for homeless veterans who call the VA in St. Cloud and can’t get in right away.
“We pay for a hotel room,” says Olson.
Money also goes to the Eagle’s Healing Nest in Sauk Centre, a refuge for veterans who are looking to get their lives back together.
Some funds go to the Minneapolis VA Community Resource and Referral Center for homeless veterans in the Twin Cities area.
Other funds go to the St. Cloud Stand Down, where homeless veterans are provided with a broad range of necessities including food, clothing, medical, legal and mental health assistance, job counseling and referral, and most importantly, companionship and camaraderie.
That takes place Oct. 27 at the St. Cloud National Guard Armory, 1710 Veterans Drive.
