ABATE marks 10th year of hospice benefit

July 20--The rumble of motorcycle engines filled Burlington streets Saturday afternoon, emanating from a big-hearted brotherhood known for its charity work.

More than 300 people riding more than 200 motorcycles participated in the 10th annual District 18 ABATE (A Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education) Mystery Ride, which raises money for Great River Hospice in West Burlington and Lee County Health Department Hospice in Fort Madison.

The ride drums up about $10,000 every year, and organizers were hoping to raise that much again. The money is evenly divided between the two hospice organizations.

"Hospice is one of the best things you can raise money for," said biker Jason Olnes, one of the organizers of the event. "They use all the money we give them for hospice. They don't use it for administrative fees and stuff like that. I think that's why everybody likes this ride."

Olnes owns the Crazy Coyote Bar and Grill, 2505 Mount Pleasant St., and the bikers gathered there before hitting the road at noon. There was hardly any room to move in the parking lot or the bar, which is far different from how the event started a decade ago.

"The very first year we did it, we raised $700 and had 33 bikes. I'll never forget that. It just keeps growing every year," Olnes said.

As the name of the event implied, the riders didn't know what route they would take until the morning of the ride. As always, the first stop was the Great River Hospice House, 1220 S. Washington Road in West Burlington, where they were greeted by smiling patients and a fellow rider who spoke about what hospice did for her late mother.

"Last September, my mother was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, and when they found it, it had already spread to her brain," said Fort Madison rider Trish Eaves-Fedler. "I can't put into words what hospice did for our family. Our father isn't in the best of health, so for him to try and take care of mom himself, it was not possible."

Trish was embarking on her first Mystery Ride with her husband, David Fedler, and couldn't stop thanking the hospice workers for their work.

"The hospice workers are so much more. They're not just nurses and caregivers," she said while holding back tears. "They truly do comfort your family. When you cry, they cry. When you laugh, they laugh. And they mourn with you."

The 90-mile ride was not unlike a scavenger hunt -- participants searched for hidden items at each stop and snapped a picture of it. If they found the correct object, they were provided a playing card that could be used in a poker run at the end of the day.

After making their way through Fort Madison, the bikers made stops in Keokuk, Argyle and Farmington before ending the ride with a party and silent auction at the Eagles Club, 2727 Mount Pleasant St. in Burlington.

"The weather is perfect. Some years, it's been so hot," said Judi Balderas of Wapello, who was riding a three-wheeled motorcycle with her husband, Mario. "You meet a lot of good people. Bikers are the best people."

One hospice patients, Tim Vorwerk, got a short bike ride after the other motorcyclists rumbled off. Another hospice patient, 57-year-old Garry Koopmans, got to ride in some brand-new cars from Shottenkirk a couple of days before that. That ride wasn't organized through hospice, but it was much appreciated.

Fulfilling final wishes isn't unusual for hospice services. Amy Burkhart, community liaison for Great River Hospice in Burlington, said the staff constantly is organizing events to meet end-of-life goals.

While most hospice patients enter the program about a month before their death, Burkhart said hospice actually is a Medicare benefit for those with fewer than six months to live. She would like to see patients come in earlier and take advantage of the services the facility offers, such as emotional support, spiritual care and massage therapy. Many families, she said, wished they had used the service sooner.

Great River Hospice House has fundraising events throughout the year to offset the operational costs of running the facility, which is not fully covered by the insurance companies of hospice patients. The operational difference is about $200,000 a year.

"This ride is pretty unique for a fundraiser," Burkhart said. "Typically, a fundraiser has a life of three or five years, and then you have to change it up. To see something like this survive for a decade, it really speaks to the heart of the ABATE District 18 group. They keep bringing energy to it."

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