Riding for a good cause during April run

Local motorcycle club preparing for charity ride

A local motorcycle club, the Galloping Goose, will host the 14th annual Wyo-Kids Run on April 12. The club holds two major events a year in the spring and fall. The spring event is to raise money for local kids, and in the fall club members will host a bike show to raise money for military veterans.

“Our charity ride will start at Brewgards Liquor and Lounge in Cody,” said club member and event organizer Ken Stewart of Lovell. “The riders will make four additional stops to play bingo, which is $5 per game and offers a chance to win prizes. Our final stop will be at 4 Corners Bar in Lovell.”

Stewart said parents and their kids can fill out an application to their club for anyone who needs funding to participate at KEY Camp (Knowledge Enrichment for Youth). He said anyone in the community can speak with club members to get information.

“Many people in the area know us,” Stewart said. “People would hit us up for an application so they can send their kids to KEY Camp. Our club purchased bicycle helmets for a first grade class because the kids were doing bike safety training with our local police department.”

The Galloping Goose motorcycle club has been involved in helping local kids since their chapter started in the Big Horn Basin. When the COVID pandemic happened five years ago, the club continued to find ways to lend a helping hand.

“Our charity ride started as the KEY Camp run,” said Zachary “Mouth” Flynn, who is also a club member and organizer. “The KEY Camp program helps send kids to the University of Wyoming to have classes on campus for a week. When COVID hit, the program at UW was discontinued.”

According to Flynn, the motorcycle club changed its charity name to Wyo-Kids, and since then the club has been able to hold different fundraisers for youth activities. 

“The cool thing about the Wyo-Kids event is that it’s not limited,” Flynn said. “A group of young boys wanted to pig wrestle at the fair but could not afford to do so. Our club made T-shirts to help pay for the kids’ entire fee, and our club helped get bicycle helmets for the Head Start program.”

Flynn said everything the motorcycle club does for fundraising is about helping the community. He said it is all about helping those in need or giving something special to kids.

“Last year, our club combined our veterans run with the kids run,” Flynn said. “The reason is that a kid from Powell was sick, and his mother is a veteran who had to sell everything she had to move to where the doctor is in Arizona. Our club has helped cheerleader camps and helped local high school seniors go on their senior trips in Europe. It is just our way of giving back to the community and helping the kids who need it. Many people do not realize that the motorcycle community has raised more money for charity than any other organization. If you see these bingo and poker runs, it’s all for charity.”

 If anyone is interested in participating in the Wyo-Kids Bingo Run, visit the Galloping Goose Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GGMCBHB/ or stop by The Market and get contact information from the club’s flyer.