0 Eg eee OO . Local bikers ready to Ride for Sight Although it’s still six weeks _away, motorcycle clubs around the Northwest and Central In- terior are beginning to gear up for the annual ‘‘Ride for Sight”’ campaign. This national fund- raising campaign, sponsored in B.C. by the British Columbia Motorcycle Federation, raises money each year to fight Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a group of closely-related eye diseases which affect the retina. People suffering from RP first experience a gradual loss of vision and eventually, for many, it ends in total blindness. The retina at the back of the eye acts like the film in a camera and its function is to transfer images to the brain. In RP sufferers, the cells of the retina degenerate and fail to renew themselves. There- fore, the transfer of images to the brain becomes fragmented or completely blocked. An early symptom in one form of RP is the loss of night vision, and as the disease pro- gresses peripheral vision nar- rows and the sufferer is left with tunnel vision. In another form of RP, central vision is lost first and then peripheral vision grad- ually deteriorates. _ _ There are an éstimated 100,000 sufferers in Canada, In "1986, 60 percent of the newly registered blind in Canada lost their sight to RP related dis- . eases, To date, no treatment or cure has been found. Research is being carried out ‘by major universities but it is slow, tedious — and expensive. ‘Since 1974, the RP Eye Research _ Foundation has granted $3.2 million to research institutions. And this is where hundreds of groups like the Roadrunners Motorcycle Club of Terrace come into the picture. Nearly half of that $3.2 million was raised through the Ride for Sight campaign, making it one of the largest charity events in the “country that involves motor- cyclists exclusively. In 1987, ‘over 7,000 Canadian riders join- ed the campaign to raise $500,000 from 80,000 individual donors. : According to Ride for Sight North Coordinator, James Gil-' ‘ham, Roadrunners Club mem- bers have already received dona- tion books and are beginning a campaign throughout the com- munity that they hope will top ‘the previous year. ~ He said that riders from across the north will then be converging on the Houston Motor Inn in Houston on June “11 to turn in their collections ‘and add up a total which will “show the true generosity of ~gesidents in the north. pat a ES Froclunudiai tem Youd It's Motorcycle Safety Week, and Mayor Jack “Wild One” Talstra recently got In the moad for crulse. The safety awareness campaign is organized by the British Columbia Motorcycle Federation and organized locally by the Roadrunners Motorcycle Club — a group of local street motorcyclists who have come together to promote road safety for everyone using our public highways. Pictured above are Roadrunners’ vice president Doug -Misfeldt, president Susan Kaulbeck, past president Brian Ramsay and executive director James Gilham. Roadrunners promote safety Terrace Mayor Jack Talstra has declared May ! to 7 as “Motorcycle Safety Week”’ in Terrace. This annual. safety awareness campaign was originally initiated by the Roadrunners Motorcycle Club in Terrace several years ago and has since been adopted by the British Columbia Motorcycle Federation, who have made it a province-wide event. Organized in 1982 by a small group of local bikers, the Roadrunners now attract the majority of local bikers -who work together to support road safety and organize charitable events, such as the Ride for ' Sight in June and the annual “Toy Run’? which has donated children’s Christmas gifts to the Salvation Army every fall for the past six years. Other events organized by the club every year include a display in the Skeena Mall each spring to promote the club, road safety and new equipment, a parking lot ‘‘Skills Rodeo’’ to brush up on riding basics and road rallies and fun runs complete with trophies and prizes. - According to club president Susan Kaulbeck, the Roadrun- ners are a loosely structured group open to anyone who en- joys talking about motorcycles, exchanging biking experiences and ideas — and most of all, the feel of wind as they experience a freedom only bikers can enjoy. Kaulbeck said anyone in- terested can attend one of their monthly meetings, which are held at the Inn of the West at 7:30 p.m. on the first Monday of every month, or phone James Gilham at 635-9217, Brian Ram- ‘say at 638-8436 or Sue Kaulbeck at 635-2446. Skeena Valley Rebekah Lodge holds regular meetings every second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 8 ym. In the Oddfellow’s Hall, 3222 Munroe, Terrace. For : _.more information call 635-2470. Come Grow... with your com newspaper Locally Qwned and Operated, the Terrace Review is a community newspaper concentrating solely on local news and events. With highly experienced employees, all long-time — residents of Terrace, wa have developed a paper one can honestly call the Terrace Review. |