Nearly 1,000 Bikers Ride "Hand In Hand" with Phoenix Children's Hospital Patients

PHOENIX, June 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Saturday, April 9, nearly 1,000 bikers gathered at Phoenix Children's Hospital for the 3^rd Annual Hand in Hand charity ride organized by Arizona Bike Week and Arizona Bike Week Charities Group. The event was sponsored by Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale and raised more than $15,000 for the Hospital's Hope Fund. The night before the ride well-known entrepreneur and philanthropist Bob Parsons, owner of Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale, announced a $100,000 gift through The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, raising the total contribution to Phoenix Children's to more than $115,000.

"Renee and I are committed to continuing our long-standing support for Phoenix Children's Hospital," said Parsons. "Every child deserves access to outstanding medical care, and Phoenix Children's is the absolute best."

As bikers gathered at the Hospital for breakfast with some of the children, they were assigned a patient to ride for – Hand in Hand. One of those patients, 6-year-old Brendan, has faced many health challenges, including a heart transplant, but looks forward to this event each year. "Bike Week is the one time of the year when Brendan is able to be normal. No one picks on him, people want to hang out with him, and he gets to feel strong. He is not sick during Bike Week; he is accepted for the very cool little boy that he is," says his mom Genevieve Davies.

The Hand in Hand ride was one of the featured charity rides during Arizona Bike Week, which attracted thousands of riders from all over the country to celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of the largest motorcycle rally in the Southwest. Local artist Jon Arvizu designed an exclusive red mandanna – a bandanna with a mustache on one side and a beard on the other – and guardian bells that said "I Ride 4 PCH" were also for sale.

As the bikes departed the Hospital, they were led by Phoenix Children's Chief Financial Officer Craig McKnight and Assistant General Counsel Evan Coppola, as well as The Gatekeepers, a motorcycle group of firefighters. The ride culminated with the Arizona Bike Week festivities at WestWorld in Scottsdale.

"This year attendance for the Hand In Hand Ride was up by about 20%. We're super excited to see this ride grow each year. The direct proceeds from the Hand In Hand ride resulted in a $15,249 donation to Phoenix Children's," said Lisa Cyr, managing partner for Arizona Bike Week. All funds raised benefited the Hospital's Hope Fund, which helps launch critical new programs, purchase essential equipment, conduct cutting-edge research, provide charity care, and more.

Partners who generously donated their services included: Arcadia Tavern, The Breakfast Joynt, Kind Bars, Ideas Collide, Magical Marketing, My Fit Foods, Wal-mart, Z Pizza, and U-Haul.

About Phoenix Children's Hospital
Phoenix Children's Hospital is Arizona's only children's hospital that is ranked in U.S. News & World Report's Best Children's Hospitals. Phoenix Children's provides world-class inpatient, outpatient, trauma, emergency and urgent care to children and families in Arizona and throughout the Southwest. As one of the largest children's hospitals in the country, Phoenix Children's provides care across more than 75 pediatric specialties. The Hospital is poised for continued growth in quality patient care, research and medical education. For more information about the hospital, visit www.phoenixchildrens.org.

SOURCE Phoenix Children's Hospital

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http://www.phoenixchildrens.org