Tuscaloosa, Alabama Motorcycle Club to Host “Poker Run” for Child Battling Cancer

A Tuscaloosa motorcycle club is organizing a unique fundraiser this August to help a 7-year-old child battling cancer.

Dustin Cline, a representative with the Tuscaloosa chapter of Punishers Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club (LEMC), said that event consists of a Poker Run, a bike drive where participants visit checkpoints along the path, building a poker hand one playing card at a time. Different prizes will be awarded to riders with the best hand, worst hand and other categories.

The fundraiser benefits Hunt for Hope, a local organization that takes terminally ill children hunting and other activities that, as Cline explained, help the kids think about something other than their illnesses for a day.

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This year's sponsored child is Remington Waters, who the Thread first highlighted when he was six years old. Remington had been diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in his abdomen and bone marrow in January, a kind of cancer that develops from immature nerve cells found throughout the body.

"Our motto is 'in service to others,'" Cline said. "We were looking for a local organization to support with a benefit ride. They reached out because they've had issues fundraising because of COVID. Hunt for Hope lets kids be kids for once in their life, be normal outdoor kids."

The event starts on August 28 at 11 a.m. at T-Town Harley Davidson, with kickstands up at 12:30. From there, riders will make pitstops at Scooter's, Big Al's, the Loyal Order of Moose lodge, Oasis Bar & Grill and finally end the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6022 in Cottondale.

The LEMC Tuscaloosa chapter will host the event, and several other chapters across the state have already signed up to participate alongside them.

"The money raised at this event isn't just to help Remington, it's going to other kids," Cline said. "We're sponsoring them so they can sponsor many children in the future."

After the benefit ride ends, participants and onlookers alike are invited to the VFW from 3-6 p.m. for more activities including a silent auction, raffles, door prizes and bounce houses. Boston butt plates will be sold, and Tuscaloosa band Vintage Gray is set to perform.

"It's already excelled past our expectations of what this event was going to be," Cline said. "It's great to see the community coming together. This is the start of a long-term relationship with Hunt for Hope. We want to support the organization, not just an individual family."

For more information, people can follow the Punishers LEMC T-Town Chapter on Facebook or view the First Annual Hunt for Hope Poker Run event page. For updates on Remington's journey, follow Rem's Warriors on Facebook.