Fall leaves are a value-added product
Submitted by Trisha Gedon, OSU Agriculture Tour companies in the northeast are booked for leaf-peeping tours this fall, but for
Thousands of children in and around Stillwater need food on the weekends when their school-provided food isn’t available. For ten years, Terri Collier has served to alleviate this childhood hunger by serving in the Kickin’ Childhood Hunger charity. This local nonprofit organization works with churches in Stillwater to bag weekend food for children. She also has a life-long love of motorcycles that started when she was only five. Now, she can use her passion for motorcycles to make a major dent in local childhood hunger.
In the upcoming Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge, Terri has set a goal to raise $75,000 for Kickin’ Childhood Hunger, which will buy 10,000 weekend food sacks for local children.
The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a grueling sprint from Daytona, Florida, to Homer, Alaska. That comes out to an average of 750+ miles per day. Terri has to complete this arduous journey in under 20 days. No GPS is allowed, and any moving violations or sleeping indoors would lead to disqualification. Such a taxing trek would test the best of riders, but Terri is dauntless. “Ever since it first started, I knew I always wanted to do it. Now, the stars have aligned. It’s like a spiritual journey,” she said.
On July 11, starting at 8:30 AM at the BancFirst on Main Street, Terri will be riding her motorcycle around Stillwater to collect donations for her goal. BancFirst, her employer, has pledged to match funds up to $5,000 to help her. Stillwater Milling Company has also added $5000 in matching funds for July 11.
Her first stop will be the City of Stillwater building, where Mayor Joyce will proclaim July 11 as Kickin’ Childhood Hunger Day in Stillwater. As of now, Terri is looking for other businesses to visit on her drive to collect donations, and in preparation for the Hoka Hey challenge, her stops will be speedy.
She hopes to finalize her drive map based on the locations and number of participants by June 18. Anyone interested in helping Terri that day is encouraged to contact her at terri.collier@bancfirst.com or 405-612-3844.