Motorcycle Club Honors, Assists Soldiers Offering Their Lives Overseas

There’s perhaps a surprising connection between bikers and soldiers. In honor of the bond, for the fourth consecutive year, a New York motorcycle club hosted a fundraiser Saturday to support U.S. troops serving abroad and honor soldiers in their community.

On the eve of Veterans Day, Denise Chevere hurried around a Bronx nightclub, briefing volunteers and arranging items, in preparation for the Clutch Divaz MC 4th Annual Troops Fundraiser. Chevere is the founder of the small motorcycle club, creator of the fundraiser and practically the engine behind its execution. She says her inspiration for the event came from a conversation with her father, who served as a sniper during the Korean War.

“A few years ago, I asked him what the hardest thing about serving was,” says Chevere.

“He said it’s that people assume when you’re away that you have everything you need. Of course the military provides but it’s hard because without the other things, especially connection to your family and community, you feel like everyone’s forgotten you.”

To be sure that no soldier is forgotten, Chevere began an effort to reach out to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Doing research she found reports on troops needing everything from stationary to write home to playing cards in downtime. She found the Adopt A Platoon organization online right away and just as quickly made the connection between the riding community and the military.

Biker Andre “Gunz” Greene presented awards at Saturday’s packed event, which was organized to raise money for the more than 120 care packages the Clutch Divaz send every year. As a member of the Savage Skulls Motorcycle Club and veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps., Greene says it’s a sense of belonging that binds soldiers and riders.

“The connection is brotherhood,” says Greene. “One thing that happens in the motorcycle community is that it gives, often retired members of the military, a chance to ride together and relate to one another. It’s something that’s missing elsewhere in society.”

At the fundraiser, motorcycle club members from around New York City filed in to celebrate the vets among them and give to a worthy cause. This year, 35 were honored with gifts and awards and proceeds collected at the door that will go toward buying supplies for the Clutch Divas’ platoon.

Black Enterprise’s Vladimir Leveque was on hand to host the event. Known as “Preach” on his motorcycle, he also operates the Sucker Free MC blog which chronicles the history and culture of motorcycle clubs.

“I don’t use the word heroes loosely,” Leveque said. “But what these guys do on a day-to-day is incredible. Even more, military guys were right there at the birth of what we define as MCs now. So we owe them that acknowledgement and respect.”

Some of the very first MCs came from veterans of WWII who still wanted the thrill and camaraderie of their service days, says Leveque.

“They provided the DNA for what we do today and a lot of vets are still able to exercise that same sense of freedom riding motorcycles in a club.”

Despite the cost and

effort to put on the event, Chevere plans to continue it next year and is already planning for a larger production. She said she’s encouraged by the letters she gets from her adopted platoon and the reaction of those she awards best reaction.

“One soldier told me that it meant more than anything because it came from his community,” she says. “And last year, we sent so much stuff that our guys were able to share with other platoons.”

Since first getting the idea for the fundraiser, Chevere father has declined in health.

“He’s not able to speak much but I shared what I was doing with him a while back,” she says. “He told me, having been a soldier, it’s worth more than gold to them.”