BATAVIA/Charity Riders hit the road to support Ricky Palermo Foundation

Charity Riders members take off on Saturday’s ride to support the Ricky Palermo Foundation. (Photo by Brian Quinn)

The engines were roaring in front of the Copperhead Creek Bar Saturday morning, with the Genesee County Charity Riders ready to hit the road in support of the RIcky Palermo Foundation.

Amy Hathaway, a member of the Genesee County Charity Riders, said there were about 45-50 members riding in Saturday’s ride. She said this was the first time the Charity Riders were doing a ride to support the foundation. City police helped the group get started safely.

“Ricky’s my cousin, so we wanted to do something for Ricky,” she said. “We just chatted with him and I have a great group with the Genesee County Charity Riders. They’re a wonderful group of people. They help out. We all did it together and it’s coming along well.”

Charity Riders members said this is the kind of cause they ride for. 

“All we had to do was offer it to Ricky. Ricky was happy to have that,” Hathaway said.

Charity Riders member and Road Captain Cale Rice gives the group a quick update before the ride begins. (Photo by Brian Quinn)

Charity Riders member and Road Captain Cale Rice spoke briefly before the Riders took off from Copperhead Creek Bar. He noted stops included the Alabama Hotel in Basom, Indian Falls Log Cabin Restaurant in Corfu, Canalside Inn in Gasport and Rosemellia’s Burt Hotel in Newfane. He said they would meet back at the Copperhead Creek Bar afterward for awards.

Ricky Palermo, right, listens to some saxophone music before the start of the Genesee County Charity Riders’ charity ride. (Photo by Brian Quinn)

Ricky Palermo said he loved being at the Copperhead to see the Charity Riders take off Saturday morning.

“I love being here to see all my new friends. It’s just a fun day and to see a great turnout, it just makes your day,” he said. Palermo said he’s never been involved with a Genesee County Charity Riders ride before.

“I always wondered what it was about and I said, ‘That’d be fun, to ride with it,” he said.

The Ricky Palermo Foundation has raised and donated more than $2.2 million, the foundation said in April.  Inspired by Palermo’s life-changing spinal cord injury, the foundation directs donations both locally and nationally, as it supports local hospitals, a specialized FES bike program at Batavia’s YMCA and state of the art research at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

The Charity Riders wait to get going Saturday morning in Batavia. (Photo by Brian Quinn)