Jonathan Bowling Memorial Ride Set For April 30-9am
April 26, 2011
This annual bike ride will begin at 9:00am at Patrick County High School. Entrance Fee is $10. Proceeds benefit for a scholarship fund in memory of Cpl. Jonathan Bowling killed in Iraq in 2005.
Source: Martinsville Bulletin
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
By DEBBIE HALL - Bulletin Staff Writer
The humanitarian spirit and dedication of a local serviceman will be showcased on Saturday during the seventh annual Cpl. Jonathan Bowling Memorial Bike Ride and Show.
The event is held each year to raise money for a scholarship fund and to remember Bowling, who was 23 when he died in 2005.
He and three other Marines from a Lynchburg-based reserve unit were killed when their convoy was ambushed by insurgents in the Anwar province in Iraq.
The ride is open to bikes, cars and trucks, according to retired Master Virginia State Trooper Darrell Bowling, Jonathan Bowling’s father.
The cost to participate is $10 per vehicle or bike, and registration will begin at 9 a.m. April 30 at Patrick County High School.
All proceeds will benefit the scholarship fund, which is overseen by the Patrick County Education Foundation, Darrell Bowling said.
Scholarships are given annually to a Patrick County High School student who enrolls at Patrick Henry Community College in a public service field, he said.
Generally, only one scholarship is awarded annually, but this year, two scholarships will be given, he said.
Those awards will be announced later, he added.
Information about Cpl. Joshua “J.B.� Kerns, 21, of Ararat, also will be available at the ride, Darrell Bowling said.
Kerns was seriously injured in Afghanistan earlier this month when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated during a mine sweep in a safety zone, family members have said.
A Marine recruiting station will be among the manned booths at the ride, and several vendors also will have tables. Concessions will be provided by a local church, which will keep the proceeds from food sales, Darrell Bowling said.
The Patrick Springs Volunteer Fire Department will announce the winner of a new motorcycle, and other prizes and gift certificates will be distributed, he added.
The ride will begin promptly at 12:30 p.m. when participants leave the high school. It will follow the same route as in years past, with a break at the Bassett Volunteer Fire Department. The ride will end around 3:45 p.m. at Jonathan Bowling’s gravesite, his father said.
Jonathan Bowling was a Martinsville police officer and a volunteer firefighter with the Fairystone Volunteer Fire Department.
“Jon started volunteer work when he was about 14 years old� at the Blue Ridge Nursing Center, Darrell Bowling said. The young man dedicated “his whole life to doing something for somebody.�
The ride “not only helps remember his sacrifice,� but also ensures that Bowling’s humanitarian spirit continues to serve others, Darrell Bowling said.
The event will be held rain or shine, in part because of the large number of out-of-state participants.
Each year, the memorial ride draws participants from as far as Canada and California, and this year will be no different, with participants from California, Nevada, Illinois, New York and Missouri expected, Darrell Bowling said.
“The ride is kind of like a reunion. People come from all over,� he said.
They also remember Jon Bowling and his sacrifice, with many sitting or standing along the route in remembrance or waving American flags, Darrell Bowling said.
“The local people are damned special,� he said.
Donations and fees are tax deductible, Darrell Bowling said.
For more information or to donate, visit www.cpljonathanbowling.us.
Reference www.martinsvillebulletin.com
