Vets team up for charity raffle

Veterans gathered for a motorcycle ride Saturday afternoon to help raise money for charity.

The annual fundraiser was started after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, as many soldiers were engaged in combat in the Middle East.

“The run was originally put together to provide some relief to the families of soldiers that had suffered loss during Hurricane Katrina while the 155 Brigade combat team was deployed,” said Greg Michel, a group member and war vet.

It wasn’t expected that the event would become an annual fundraiser.

But 10 years later, the ride is still going strong.

“We ride motorcycles and raise money for great causes,” Michel said.

The event is now organized by Dixie Thunder Run and the Better Life Foundation, a charity affiliated with the band, Three Doors Down.

The groups began to work together after Better Life wanted to add a new element to their charity.

“One helps primarily soldiers in need — if they need help paying the bills, to help building a house (or) a wounded warriors situation,” said Craig Hatter, a veteran and the group’s founder. “The other side is we donate through the Better Life Foundation. We donate to children’s hospitals.”

A part of Saturday’s event was an unveiling of a motorcycle being raffled.

The bike is a 2015 Harley Davidson Road Glide custom painted with a Mississippi soldier theme.

“I’m about as excited as a man can be and it not be Christmas,” Hatter said.

This is the eighth year a motorcycle has been raffled off as part of the fundraiser. Last year, organizers raised $40,000.

The raffle winner will be announced Dec. 5 at a Three Doors concert at the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica.

Visit www.dixiethunderrun.net to donate.

Vets team up for charity raffle