By Neale Gulley
Niagara Gazette
WHEATFIELD —
Kickstands were up early Friday as the American Legion Riders began their 500 mile journey of goodwill to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
About 19 members of the motorcycle club departed Legion Post at 1451 on Ward Road at 9 a.m. Their mission, many months in the making, is to escort a 24-foot truck loaded with a bounty of clothing and other necessities intended for wounded veterans awaiting transport from the base to permanent hospitals.
“We’ve got everything from personal hygiene items and soap to T-shirts, sweatshirts, undergarments, pants, coats ... even some snacks,” said Riders president Sam Reeder. “It sounds like we have somewhere in the vicinity of three more palettes to pick up at the five (other Legion) posts.”
The much-needed goods represent months of collection drives and appeals by Jammies for GIs, the regional charity run by Cheryl Lepsch for roughly four years. The organization collects clothing and personal care items for America’s wounded soldiers, many of whom are evacuated from foreign battlefields with only the tattered clothes on their backs.
Seven palettes worth of clothing and other items are now en rote to the same veterans and more will be picked up as the convoy is welcomed at American Legion posts along the way, Reeder said. Other legion riders will also join the procession and lend whatever material support they can.
West Herr Ford, just one sponsor, contributed a box of coats. Cave of the Winds chipped in a huge amount of slippers. Boxes of unused surplus Canal Fest T-shirts were also among the donations.
Lepsch started Jammies for GIs after hearing from her son Jeremy while he was stationed overseas several years ago. She was told about the overcrowding in military hospitals in Germany and stateside that triage patients for extended periods of time before they reach their destination or are redeployed. She heard of and saw images of wounded soldiers awaiting treatment at bases in Germany and wearing T-shirts while snow is visible in the background, or walking without coats to therapy session on open medical campuses.
“We are going to be their escort,” Reeder said. “We raised money and some of the items and we’ll give them transportation all the way to Andrews.”
The club had to take a special motorcycle safety training course last week just to get on base. There are other hurdles in addition to a summer’s worth of fundraisers the club orchestrated in order to raise $2,800 to cover gas, meals and lodging.
Reeder said Jammies for GIs is this year donating enough items to take care of between 200 and 300 veterans.
“It’s a lot. There’s still a long way to go,” he stressed. “There are thousands of guys needing help.”
