Raise money for an important cause by participating in Victory4Veterans this coming weekend. Scheduled for Saturday, June 1, the second annual motorcycle run benefits the Recreation Department of the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, Mass. Trantolo & Trantolo is one of the event’s sponsors.
Beginning in 1952, the Soldiers’ Home is a care facility for state-eligible veterans, operating with the mission of “Care With Honor and Dignity.” The facility maintains a high level of personal care services and provides recreational activities that meet the social, physical, and emotional needs of veterans. 300 veterans reside at the home, which is overseen by the Department of Health.
With 700 motorcycles seen last year, 1,000 are expected to travel the 79-mile ride from the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke through various towns in Massachusetts.
Participants need to be at 110 Cherry St. in Holyoke at 9:30 a.m. to start the ride, which moves along Route 202. From Holyoke, riders then cruise through South Hadley, Granby, Belchertown, Pelham, Leverett, and Shutesbury, with a stop at the American Legion Post in Orange. After that brief break, riders go back on Route 202 through Ludlow, eventually finishing at the Moose Lodge in Chicopee. Activities and entertainment await all participants at the destination.
The cost is $30 to participate, with Victory4Veterans contribution 100 percent of net proceeds to the organization. While the recreation activities are funded by the state, amounts raised by events like Victory4Veterans supplement these programs, be it outings, events, guest speakers, or other options.
To the press, John A. Paradis, director of outreach, communications and intergovernmental relations at the Soldiers’ Home, said: “These programs help keep veterans engaged and help their overall quality of life. […] Our mission is to make the time the veterans have here as comfortable as possible and add as much to the quality of life.”
