Marathon: Where Rubber Meets Road to Recovery

On April 28, 104 motorcycle riders gathered on Temple Street for a nine-town memorial ride, paying tribute to those injured or killed in the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing.

This was a ride of hope and recovery. Proceeds are going directly to those in need via the TheGregHillFoundation.org.

Organized jointly by Gene Kelly Sr., new owner of Amsterdam Bar and Grill, and local motorcycle enthusiasts, the Wak Bang Baggers, riders paid $25 to drive, or $10 to be a passenger, raising upwards of $3,500, including raffle proceeds.

"We were there at 7:30 in the morning, with donuts and coffee and started the raffle lines," said event coordinator Kerry Barnes. "It was a huge success –people bought sheets and sheets of raffles, and when they came back, they enjoyed burgers, hot dogs and sides."

Quite simply, the Greg Hill Foundation is about as grassroots Boston as you can get – Hill, a radio personality on WAAF, established the fund in 2010 to celebrate 20 years on the Boston airwaves by creating a charitable outreach delivering immediate relief to local families touched by tragedy.

A testament to the immediacy of the Greg Hill Foundation was the presence of Steve "Bizz" Byrnes of Lowell, Mass., one of the participants in Sunday's ride – who was among those injured in the marathon bomb blast. Byrnes suffered burns, a ruptured ear drum which resulted in a loss of hearing from his right ear, and shrapnel wounds. 

"His hospital bills were already paid by the Greg Hill Foundation," Barnes said.

Others who participated in making the day a success: Nick Kelly, General Manager at Amsterdam; Scott Caron, who helped organize the event, the Motto family, which donated the coffee and donuts from Dunkin Donuts, and George Russell, morning radio host of WSMN Nashua This Morning on 1590 AM.