Thirteen years ago, 100
motorcycles gathered to participate in
Children’s Ride 1. The event was a success
raising $13,000 for Children’s Hospital. In
2007, CR 12 raised more than $680,000 for
Children’s Hospital. Who could have predicted
that Children’s Ride would become one of the top
five guild fundraisers for Children’s Hospital
as well as one of the largest charity motorcycle
events in the Pacific Northwest?
The Imagine Guild and Children’s
Ride was founded in 1995 by Rick Baldwin. In
1974, Rick’s daughter Tessa was admitted to
Children’s Hospital for treatment of
third-degree burns when a coffee pot toppled on
to her. Being a young father with limited
financial resources, Rick benefited from the
uncompensated care fund provided by Children’s
Hospital. Always wanting to repay the hospital
for the care his family received, Rick combined
his love for motorcycles with his gratitude to
Children’s Hospital and the idea for Children’s
Ride was born.
Over the past thirteen years, the
Imagine Guild has grown from a few individuals
to more than 70 men and women of all ages who
share a love of motorcycles and a passion for
helping children. Since its inception, the
Imagine Guild has raised nearly $3 million,
providing care to hundreds of Northwest
families. Due to our extensive volunteer
network, over 80 percent of our gross revenue is
donated to the Hospital to support uncompensated
care, diabetes research, and hydrocephalus
research.
In 2005, Children’s Ride grew
from a one-day to a three day weekend event. The
Children’s Ride Gala and Auction made its debut
as a resounding success that year. Attracting
one of the top custom motorcycle builders in the
industry today, Paul Yaffe built a one-of-a-kind
custom chopper for the auction. Excitement was
at an all time high in the Hyatt Regency
Ballroom as Edgar Martinez of the Seattle
Mariners and Chad Eaton, a former Seattle
Seahawk, matched each other bid for bid on the
custom motorcycle until Edgar offered the
winning bid of $95,000.
For 2008, the Imagine Guild will
expand the Children’s Ride event to include a
concert. Plans are underway to host the concert
at a local venue and secure the talents of a
nationally known artist to headline the event.
Our goal is to host a concert that will attract
five to ten thousand participants and generate
an additional $400,000 for Children’s Hospital.
If you are interested in learning more about CR
13 and opportunities to participate, please
contact Rick Baldwin at 206-276-9457, Wendy
Funicello at 206-987-4876, or Ray Wehrs at
425-894-7051.
