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handout Toni Webb is organizing the first Pink and Chrome Ride for the Cure.

Saturday ride is the 1st 'Pink and Chrome Ride for the Cure'

By Meredith Moss, Staff Writer Updated 4:32 PM Sunday, September 26, 2010

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This article is part of our month-long focus on breast cancer. To learn more or find ways to help, go to our Pink Edition Page.

HUBER HEIGHTS — Motorcycle riders, said Toni Webb, are caring folks with a history of supporting charitable causes.

As the originator of the first “Pink and Chrome Ride for the Cure,” the Huber Heights woman, 52, is a case in point. The first-ever event, organized in conjunction with Five Rivers MetroParks, is slated for Saturday, Oct. 3, and will take riders on an 80-mile scenic ride through a number of area parks. Cars are welcome, too.

An avid rider who’s logged more than 60,000 miles on her 2001 Harley-Davidson Fat-Boy, Webb — along with her husband, Don Webb — have helped raise funds for organizations ranging from SICSA to Muscular Dystrophy Association.

When a few of their motorcycle-riding friends were diagnosed with breast cancer, Toni Webb began thinking about what she and the others might do to help.

A passion for quilting led the group to create a “comfort quilt” for one friend who was facing difficult breast surgery.

“Mary often says that her little quilt helped pull her through a long, rough period of recovery,” said Webb, adding that her friend has made a great recovery.

It was during the quilting sessions that plans began to take shape for the new fund raiser.

“When we first started talking about putting the ride together, we immediately contacted the Susan G. Komen Foundation,” Webb said. “The great thing about the Komen Foundation is that the bulk of the money stays here, in our area, and directly benefits the people of the Miami Valley. It is used for local support, local awareness, and local research.”

MetroParks, she said, has also been wonderful. It’s the first time the parks have participated in such a project.

“This is a “family-friendly” kind of ride, and MetroParks is a natural choice for us,” Webb said. “We want people to come early and enjoy the sights and exhibits at Carriage Hill farm, and then ride the ride and see all of the beauty of the MetroPark sites we visit.”

Diana Foose, administrative coordinator for the parks and a breast cancer survivor, is recruiting employees for the event.

“Everybody is different and has a different way of contributing to the cause,” said Foose, who is also the captain for the Metroparks team that participates each year in “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer,” the community walk being held this year on Oct. 17. “My philosophy is that everyone can give a little bit in one way or another.”

Foose said she’s one of the lucky ones who has seen first-hand how important it is to fund research and find a cure.

“We all know someone who is affected,” she added.

Don and Toni Webb have also found that to be true.

“Since the earliest planning meetings of this ride, we’ve had person after person come forward to tell us why this ride was so important to them,” he said. “We soon found out that this disease doesn’t just affect the woman with breast cancer; it also puts a tremendous strain on their spouses, families and friends.”

How to ride

What: Pink and Chrome Ride for the Cure
When: Registration at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, with the first bike out at 11 a.m. Music, prizes, and a balloon launch for survivors will begin at 4:30 p.m.
Where: The ride begins at Carriage Hill Farm in Huber Heights and continues through several MetroParks sites. It will end at Jackass Flats with a party and prizes.
Donation: $15 per single rider, $25 for two-up riders ( a rider and passenger) with proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
For info: www.pinkandchrome.com or call (937) 478-5231.

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