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GM workers rev up engines for charity drive
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Gary “Bones” Mowen of Niles wears an Uncle Sam costume as he rides his Harley-Davidson motorcycle through the General Motors Lordstown plant as part of a fundraising ride Thursday.
By Jordan Cohen
LORDSTOWN
With engines revving, the 16th Annual UAW-GM Bike Show roared into the welcome center of General Motors East plant Thursday with a parade of 40 motorcycles whose riders brought a gift for Mahoning Valley March of Dimes.
The bikers, all GM employees, raised $65,000 for the charity, the largest contribution in the history of the show.
“This all started for Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, but we moved into fundraising and we’ve been doing it ever since,” said Glenn Johnson, president of United Auto Workers Local 1112.
Connie Knight, Mahoning Valley director of the March of Dimes, said she was overwhelmed by the success of the campaign.
“They raised $20,000 more than the goal we had set,” Knight said. “They are our biggest supporters in the Mahoning Valley.”
As usual, the parade of bikes was led by Gary Mowen, 66, of Niles, one of the original show founders who wore his traditional red, white and blue Uncle Sam costume.
“This is all-American, and you notice that these bikes are American made,” said Mowen, a GM retiree. All of the bikes in the show were built by Harley-Davidson, based in Milwaukee, Wis.
Knight said that most of the money raised by the March of Dimes goes toward research of diseases and ailments that affect newborns. She said that research funded by the organization led to the recent development and successful use of a drug to assist premature babies with their breathing.
The bikes will remain on display inside the plant today.