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RFTW SR RC Newsletter – March 2019 – Ides of March Edition

Howdy from Weatherford, TEXAS!

It’s just 60 days and a wake-up before we are KSU on RFTW XXXI! Are you ready? While we still have time, here are a few important issues that should catch your attention…

Registration on line – Some people like to wait till it’s closer to the event, but keep in mind that the $30 fee goes up to $50 at midnight on April 30th.

Check-in to the Run – When you check in at Ontario or at any location after that, you MUST HAVE ALL YOUR PAPERWORK available for the registration team to review. That means current Driver’s License, Registration, Insurance, etc. If you don’t, then you won’t be checked in and you won’t get an arm band or handlebar ribbon.

Minors on the Run – Read the Minor Registration Policy very carefully and comply to the letter or that minor will not be checked in on the Run. Keep in mind that the Policy may require notarization of the Minor Release Form – if required by the policy, that notarization cannot be waived.

RAFFLE ROUSER – We still need a Raffle Rouser for the Southern Route – it’s the last open job on the roster. There are some very impressive items for the Raffle this year – if you’d like to be a part of the fundraising process and get more involved in the workings of the Run, this may be the step you’re looking for. It’s a great way to meet EVERYONE on the Southern Route!

Mechanical Condition – Be sure your bike is in good condition for a 3000 mile ride. Tires, oil change, scheduled servicing will all be available somewhere along the way but doing it during the 10 days of the Run will take away valuable time you would otherwise have available for the Mission.

Physical Condition – The Run always includes long, hot, cold, dry, wet, misty, enjoyable days on the road. Be sure that your mortal engine is ready for the long haul as well. Some people start hydrating early so they get used to holding more water – your choice, but be prepared to drink a lot of water along the way!

Mental Condition – I’ve written a lot about PMA – Positive Mental Attitude. Keeping that in mind, we all bring our own ideas and expectations for what the Run will mean to us and what we would like to get out of it. Be positive, talk positive and share positive with others. For me, this positively incredible event is a 10 day family reunion with a purpose and a Mission Statement of Healing, Accounting, Honor and Support and I have high expectations!

A pastor once told me the key to success for an organization is relationships. That translates to people. Some of us have close relationships with our bikes (OK, understandable) but the relationships we have with the people of our Run family is what makes us – what makes Run For The Wall – a lasting and effective organization. It takes all of us with the diversity of our abilities and talents to touch on the various tenets of our Mission Statement. To mention a few, I think of Jerry “Partner” Plent and M25’s work to watch the overall physical, emotional and spiritual well being of our riders to promote a healing environment. I think of Gunny’s words from the 1989 1st Run video interview to call for accounting, naming names and asking “Where the #&!% are they?” I think of Joe “Gump” Hudson’s work as our Missing Man Coordinator and the memorial visits to honor the memory of fallen soldiers. I think of Karoni “Hoops” Forrester and her dedication to family visits in support of our past and present military personnel. Whatever your abilities and talents, there is someone on this Run for whom you will be the face of the Mission. That same pastor I mentioned above reminded me that sometimes you minister, and sometimes you are ministered to. I believe that we all get a little of both on this pilgrimage – to heal and be healed. That’s what a family does…

TOGETHER WE make this Run more valuable than the sum of our separate efforts could ever be. TOGETHER WE execute all aspects of this Mission and touch the hearts and minds of Patriotic Americans across this great land. “TOGETHER WE” depends on all of us planning ahead to complete all aspects of preparation from paperwork to mental readiness as we come together in May to RIDE FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T!

So I ask again… Are you ready?

TOGETHER WE RIDE!

Very best regards,

Billie “Bugs” Dunlap

Southern Route Coordinator

Run For The Wall XXXI

 

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