Published: May 20, 2008 11:34 am         

Ride, auction to benefit Care House for cancer patients

On Saturday, hundreds of motorcyclists will converge on the city of Goshen for the 10th annual McKee’s Memorial Day Charity Ride. This is the fourth year proceeds will benefit the Marian Hoogenboom CARE House, a home-away-from home for cancer patients at the Goshen Center for Cancer Care.

The ride will be leaving from McKee’s Irish Pub, 1914 Elkhart Road, Goshen, Saturday at noon. Registration begins at 11 a.m. The 70-mile bike ride will include stops in LaGrange, Millersburg and New Paris. A public auction will begin around 4 p.m. at Boscos Place, 123 S. Fifth St., Goshen, and is open to the public, not just those involved in the ride.

Cost for the event is $10 for the ride only; $15 for the ride and auction and $5 for anyone wishing to attend the auction only. The community also has a chance to win a brand new Harley Davidson motorcycle valued at $16,000. Raffle tickets at $20 each are available now at Hoosier Harley Davidson in Elkhart and McKee’s Irish Pub in Goshen. The winning ticket will be drawn at 6 p.m. following the charity ride and auction.

Over the last three years, the McKee’s annual charity ride has raised more than $30,000 for the CARE House, according to Angie McKee, owner of McKee’s Irish Pub. The goal for this year’s event is $25,000 — enough to fund CARE House operations for an entire year.

“We’re very thankful for the McKee’s Annual Charity Ride, and that the McKee’s have chosen the CARE House as the recipient of these funds for four years now,” said Karen Boyd, CARE Foundation president. “Our out-of-town patients truly appreciate having the comforts of home available to them at no cost while receiving treatment at the Goshen Center for Cancer Care.”

The CARE House, opened in 2002, is owned by the CARE Foundation and provides cancer patients and their caregivers with overnight accommodations in a home-like environment, at no cost. Located within walking distance of the Goshen Center for Cancer Care, the house has four suites, each with a private bathroom. Shared common areas — living room, dining room and kitchen — provide a comfortable place to relax or have a meal.