VINELAND — “I Walk in Memory of Grandmom,” read the sign hung on a pavilion beam at Giampietro Park.
The signs welcomed dozens of motorcycle enthusiasts who showed up at the park Saturday to participate in a charity motorcycle run organized by Jim and Rhonda Martine of Vineland. The event — which combined the couple’s love for motorcycles and the open road with a cause that hits home — raised about $1,000 toward the $2,300 entry fee their team needs for the Oct. 16-18 walk in Philadelphia. Rhonda Martine’s grandmom Helene Gant of Millville died in 2006 from breast cancer, and is the reason Martine walks. “She was like my mom. My inspiration. She was my everything,” Martine said. “I vowed to do anything I could to help find a cure. “Each of our team members is walking for someone they lost. Every step I take is in memory of her.” Bikers from as far as Freehold paid $20 to ride, $15 for a passenger, in the first-ever Fight for Life Motorcycle Run. “Everyone works all week,” Jim Martine added. “To me, biking is tranquil.”
“Bikers are like a close-knit family,” his wife added. “We all look out for each other. I don’t know half these people, but they still came out in support.”