June 19, 2009 Volume 110 Number 12

Poker Run raises cash for kids

It was a full house June 13 at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 48 hall, as about 200 union members and others gathered for chili and prizes at the close of the Unions for Kids 7th Annual Motorcycle Poker Run.

This year’s event raised $50,000 for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, bringing the total to $171,000 since its inception. Most of the funds came from the raffle of a serious top prize – a 2009 Dyna Low Rider FXDL Harley — valued at $16,999. About 3,000 tickets at $10 each were sold. Money is also raised through ride registration fees of $10 each, sponsor donations, a silent auction, and a chili cookoff.

Who knew there were so many union member motorcycle enthusiasts? Unions for Kids founder Lee Duncan did. Duncan, an organizer for IBEW Local 48, conceived the event in 2003 when he became the owner of a Harley Sportster. Poker runs are a common charity event among bikers: Participants ride a route and buy a playing card at each check point, bringing the cards to the finish line, where in this case the highest and lowest hands won $100. The full route took a little over three hours, and June 13 was a beautiful day for a ride that included Crown Point in the Columbia Gorge.

Ron Hamacher of Portland won this year’s Harley raffle. And Gail Perryman of IBEW & United Workers Federal Credit Union won this year’s chili cookoff. Perryman is a member of Office and Professional Employees Local 11.


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