On THE
ROAR sHORE
Rally Benefits Area Businesses, Raises Money for a Good Cause
Among the more than 100,000 rally goers, amazing headline acts, and scenic rides throughout the Great Lakes region, Roar on the Shore® is truly a bike rally with a purpose. When the Manufacturer & Business Association Board of Governors approved the one-of-a-kind event in 2007, the idea was to benefit a broad base of businesses while helping to raise money for a worthwhile cause. The three-day, American Motorcyclist Association-sanctioned event has done that and more — fostering Erie’s image as a summer vacation destination while injecting more than $20 million into the local economy. Organizers say this increased spending not only profits local bars, restaurants and shops as well as area hotels and motels and other lodging, but also helps boost part-time employment. “Roar on the Shore® is truly a unique event not only because of the incredible economic impact it makes to our community and the charitable organizations that have benefited, but because it is completely funded by the private sector, with no local, state or federal funds required, requested or used,” explains rally spokeswoman Tammy Polanski.
This year, the beneficiary of the rally is the Boys & Girls Club of Erie, a nonprofit guidance and youth development agency founded in 1895 that inspires and enables school-age youth, particularly those from disadvantaged circumstances, to become productive and engaged citizens through use of the arts, sports and fitness, health and life skills, social recreation, guidance and education, and character and leadership training. “It’s hope and opportunity for kids from disadvantaged circumstances. The kids who come to the Boys & Girls Club are, by and large, living in poverty, kids who have one parent, don’t have a lot going for them and maybe don’t have a safe place to go,” explains Al Messina, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club. “This is a place where two things should happen for them that can change the trajectory of their life — one, they will find an adult mentor with whom they can establish a long-term relationship … and, we want to discover what that kid’s interest and/or talent is and then we want to nurture that.” According to Messina, the Boys & Girls Club plans to use the exposure and proceeds raised from Roar® to build a classroom that will expand its educational capabilities for years to come. “Education is a priority of a lot of the major institutions of this town, a lot of the major companies,” Messina says. “It’s a priority of our national organization and we feel very strongly that we need to make some real inroads in trying to provide supplementary education to kids so that they can succeed.” At the time of the 2013 charity announcement this past December, Roar on the Shore® Board Chairman Greg Rubino said of the Boys & Girls Club, “It’s an outstanding organization that provides critical support to young people in our community who face some very difficult challenges, as well as access to special programs that help build skill and character.” Added John Cline, chairman of the Manufacturer & Business Association’s Board of Governors and president of Sunburst Electronics and Bliley Technologies, “It is our sincere hope that our contribution will help the Boys & Girls Club of Erie continue their invaluable work in molding and guiding the youth of our community.”
12 < www.mbabizmag.com < July 2013
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