The Brick City chapter of the Punishers Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club marked its eighth anniversary as a chapter on Saturday, but the celebratory ride planned held a dual purpose.
The club partnered with the Dandelion Project, and more than 70 bikers rode from Ocala to Inverness to raise awareness of the need for grief support and bereavement resources, and support for people living with trauma. The ride is dually known as the Ride for H.O.P.E., which stands for Hold on, Pain Eases.
On Saturday, the Punishers made their presence known at the Charlie Horse Restaurant in Ocala. Revved-up motorcycle engines and black leather vests entered the parking lot in bursts, placing dozens of motorcycles side by side.
“It's about giving back to our community,” said Dandelion Project founder Lisa Bolton. “It’s not about who does what; it's about joining forces so that we can provide the best possible services for the community.”
The Dandelion Project began as a mother-daughter project between Bolton and her daughter, Kerri Fernley, to honor Bolton's son, Donald Jerald Fernley, who passed away shortly after birth in 1989. It then expanded when Fernley’s 18-year-old stepsister passed away from a rare autoimmune disease in 2015.
Fernley herself passed away in 2019 from a drug overdose. Now, what was a mother-daughter project has become a legacy project of a mother keeping her children’s memory alive and a way to help grieving families navigate loss. Its programs also help children in the foster care system struggling with grief and trauma.
“As a grieving parent myself, when I went into counseling for the first time, they said ‘your insurance doesn’t pick this up, doesn't cover it,’” Bolton said. “That's right then and there I said, ‘I will never charge a grieving family.’ I don't care if it's the loss of a child, a sibling, a spouse, or a pet. No family should have to worry about who’s gonna walk this journey with them.”
She said she still feels her daughter’s presence by her side.
“I think she’d say ‘way to go,’” Bolton said. “I know she's with me today.”
This is the second year the Dandelion Project and Brick City Punishers have come together for the Ride of H.O.P.E. to raise awareness.
“Our main objective is service to others,” said the Brick City Punishers president Dan Caputo. “That's our motto. So when we have events, we usually try to stick with some local groups we like to stand behind. When Lisa approached us and told us about what it was all about, it really struck home with us.”
Events like these remind the bikers that to be a Punisher is to be in the service of others.
Andy Gumpert, the vice president and a biker in the chapter, said his favorite part about being in the group is helping the community.
“You get a good warm feeling when everything’s said and done, and you know that there are people out there that you’re helping by doing what you’re doing,” Gumpert said.
As bikers began to roll out and head to Inverness, each mile of that 58-minute ride became a tribute to the lives lost, to families grieving and to building community.
“When you see the impact that something like this has, it always puts a smile on my face because I know they’re riding for a cause,” Bolton said. “I know they’re doing it for the people, for our community, and that's what makes it so special.”
The ride raised around $4,000 for the Dandelion Project and the Punishers.
