The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
HEARTS OF GOLD
Year-round volunteer efforts support local charities Signature event packs Valley Forge Convention Center
EAST NORRITON » Given the area’s numerous volunteer needs, why contribute time to East Norriton-based Hogs and Honeys?
Tom Callahan, the organization’s director of volunteers, doesn’t miss a beat.
“Because everything we do goes directly to the children of this community,” Callahan says. “This is an organization that gives back to the community directly … in a way that lets you see the difference. Immediately. There aren’t any middlemen. And everything we do goes 100 percent to the children of the community, and that’s very gratifying.”
Hogs and Honeys’ signature events include its annual Spring Fling which was held March 10 at the Valley Forge Convention Center and its Christmas in July Toy Run, a benefit for the boys and girls at Martin Luther-Silver Springs School in Plymouth Meeting and Variety — the Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley.
Both require huge amounts of manpower and shoe leather. Which is why, Callahan says, the all-volunteer organization is “always” on the lookout for additional help. And, he emphasizes, although lots of its members own and ride motorcycles, just as many don’t.
“Our volunteers consist of all kinds of people and come from all walks of life,” he says. “Originally, yes, the group was
started by people who were somehow involved with motorcycles, but it’s evolved way past that at this point. I’m a health and safety manager for [a company] in Horsham. We have police officers, firefighters, emergency dispatch people, nurses, PR people, and, believe me, not everybody rides a motorcycle. Myself, I just bought my first motorcycle in December, and my wife, Debbie, and I’ve belonged to the group for four years now.”
Members’ common denominator? Callahan points to the description contained in “Our Story” at Hogs and Honeys’ website: “A group of bikers and non-bikers … drawn together because of their shared passion to make a change.”
Currently, some 68 men and women are Hogs and Honeys members. Callahan notes they get “a very generous assist” for Spring Fling from the Conshohocken, Norriton Circle and Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Clubs. The Montgomery County Chapter of the Centurions, a law enforcement-rooted motorcycle group, teams up with Hogs and Honeys for its Christmas in July Toy Run.
All of these efforts are “very much appreciated,” Callahan says.
“The way we look at it, the more the merrier. We appreciate any help we get … and we can always use more. I mean, realistically, when you think about all the work involved in putting together something like the Spring Fling, 110 percent is better than 98 percent. Better to have too much help than not enough … with any of these [fundraising projects]. And you don’t have to volunteer with every event. We always have a lot of fun, but people are free to give as much or as little time as they feel comfortable doing.”
Spring Fling is Hogs and Honeys’ largest fundraiser. Area residents and business owners Sam and Sue Gardy started the event as a Valentine’s Day benefit in the mid-2000s. The couple and 40 or so pals and patrons of their East Norriton motorcycle shop got together for a casual social intended to raise money for the Children’s Aid Society. At party’s end, they donated $1,000 to CAS.
Those humble beginnings quickly became history. As word got out, the event’s popularity grew. In 2008, organizers raised $7,000 for then-fledgling Mission Kids. An expanded planning committee and the Hogs and Honeys Foundation for Kids followed. To date, the latter — an official 501(c)(3) charity — has raised $200,000plus, money largely disbursed to Mission Kids, Silver Springs-Martin Luther School and Variety — the Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley.
The organization also oversees a grant and scholarship program designed to assist Montgomery County families on an individual basis. Last fall, for example, the foundation joined forces with local businesses to help purchase a wheelchair-accessible van for a young Conshohocken girl.
Spring Fling 2017 resulted in a combined donation of some $60,000 to Hogs and Honeys beneficiaries. This year’s 1,200 tickets sold out “in hours.” At press time, more than 200 gift baskets had been assembled for the event’s raffles and auction, and at least 50 food vendors had committed to participate.
That said, Callahan continues, the group welcomes new sponsors and contributors — as well as volunteers — year-round. Additional information is available at hogsnhoneys.org.