Atlanta is honoring police officers, firefighters , EMTs and other first-responders with motorcycles, rock ’n’ roll and a street party on Peachtree June 25.
Rock-N-Ride is the first fundraiser to group federal, state and local first-responders into one benefit.
“Typically, fundraisers are all for police, like the Blue Knights, or just for firefighters,” Grady Health Foundation President Lisa Borders said. “We’ve gotten not a warm embrace, but a hot embrace from the first-responder community. We’re calling every police chief in the state, and every one I’ve talked to is thrilled we are doing this. It’s hard for them to imagine.”
Motorcycles participating in the ride start registering at 11 a.m. at Killer Creek Harley Davidson in Roswell. Kickstands go up at 2 p.m. The Georgia State Patrol will escort riders to the Hard Rock Café, 215 Peachtree St. NE, where MusicFest, Part Two of the benefit, begins at 3 p.m., with food and artist vendors and six bands on two stages, featuring headliner Mother’s Finest.
AirTran Airways is sponsoring the event that will benefit the Grady Health Foundation and the Gold Shield Foundation, which aids families of first responders killed in the line of duty.
"First-responders are there for us 24-7-365, from the Bluffton baseball bus crash to the Olympics bombing," Borders said. "We are showing them we're not only here for them, but we're going to actively raise money for that firefighter who gets burned or the DEA agent who gets shot. They come to Grady. They want us open every day, with the latest and greatest equipment."
For details and motorcycle pre-registration (recommended but not required for riders), visit www.gradyhealthfoundation.org/good-causes/rock-n-ride/. $40 per bike; $75 for an additional passenger.
