Road Warriors for a Cause

Our nation’s veterans often sustain invisible wounds of mental illness, physical disabilities or come across hard times financially. The Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association (CVMA) in Post Falls combines a love for motorcycle riding and helping vets in their first annual Food Drive and Poker Run.

The ride is a chance to have some fun, play a game of long distance poker, create awareness and fundraise for the needs of the vets in our region. Participants will ride together from Spokane Valley to Hauser with stops along the way to collect canned goods and get a card for a game of poker. In this new fundraising event, anyone with a motorcycle or vehicle can participate in the ride.

“(In) a lot of the things we do, we try to incorporate a family environment. Not everyone who wants to participate has a motorcycle, which is why we are allowing vehicles,” said John Johnson, the commander of the CVMA’s North Idaho Chapter 13-1. Johnson served tours in Desert Storm and in Bosnia- Herzegovina and is a retired former combat vet with a disability. He had been looking for a family friendly group that combined motorcycle riding with helping local vets, and the CVMA is just that: “Vets Helping Vets.”

The CVMA: Vets Helping Vets

The CVMA began in the early 2000s out of the need for the companionship and understanding of what vets experience while in the military. It is an international association now, and North Idaho is the first chapter of the thirteenth state in the association to form.

“We’ve branched out to five chapters: three in southern Idaho and one in Lewiston,” Johnson said. “It started to (create) a community for those who ride as a hobby and have been combat vets.”

When Johnson joined – it was that camaraderie that he was looking for in addition to an association that was family friendly.

“A lot of us are looking for understanding as a whole. We’re looking for like-minded people,” he said. “The CVMA is also very family oriented and that was important to me.”

Full membership to the CVMA requires past military combat duty and the love of riding a motorcycle. Support members are those who have served in the military but not in combat; auxiliary members are spouses married to a full or support member, Johnson explained. Membership is not dependent on gender or branch in the military.

“You don’t have to have a Harley – we have Yamahas, Hondas, BMWs – we’re just a motorcycle association,” he said. They only require that motorcycles should be of 500 cc or higher for highway safety.

Where the proceeds go: “IGY6”

Veterans have a unique experience in the military that they can’t easily impart to civilians. Often, veterans may go unnoticed by the community with their struggles to return to civilian life, work and provide for themselves or their families. The CVMA has made it its mission to help local veterans with their needs.

Throughout the year, the CVMA helps on average five to ten families per month. With their constant goal of relieving stress, they help with anything as little as gift cards for a night out or financial help with groceries or bills. Currently, they are in the midst of planning a financial management class.

People find out about the CVMA via word-of-mouth or by a referral from within the VA system, Johnson explained.

“Any place a vet might be, we have cards there,” he said. “The chapter works with 12 other programs, and if we can’t help, we find the resources to help.”

They also raise money to donate to the Goodwills across the Inland Northwest and St. Vincent de Paul’s services for homeless veterans of North Idaho. Although people donate throughout the year, the CVMA has been helping an increasing number of veterans and their families each year. To make the most of donated funds, they partner with local businesses to get the best prices when they shop for others’ meals. All money received from any donation or event goes to helping vets.

“We’re all volunteers. We all donate. One hundred percent of event proceeds go to take care of vets in the community,” he said.

Although this is the CVMA’s first Food Drive and Poker Run, it has been raising money for years to help vets and their families during Thanksgiving and Christmas. In addition, they support the Community Action Partnerships and 2nd Harvest, two major food banks in Northern Idaho and Spokane respectively.

“It’s important for something as small as a good, home cooked meal to help relieve the stress (of the holidays),” Johnson said. “If a vet needs help with rent or groceries, we do that year-round, not just during the holidays.”

For Thanksgiving last year, they provided holiday meals for eight families. For Christmas, they assisted 14 families; for nine of them, they purchased gifts for children younger than 18 years of age.

“We went shopping for them for things they would appreciate, making sure they had a good Christmas and one less stress to the families,” he said.

They have at times assisted vets with bills to help make ends meet. It’s part of what Johnson called “IGY6,” which is a military term that means, “I got your back.” With “;IGY6,” the semi-colon, he said, is a symbol for individuals struggling with mental illness that ended with suicide; it represents a pause and a continuation.

“(In grammar,) the semi-colon is a pause where you can stop it with a period or continue. Twenty-two vets a day commit suicide. We work with a lot of people, and our goal is to relieve stress,” he said.

The Ride

The ride includes much of the region that the CVMA Chapter 13-1 covers. Members hail from the northern counties. The starting point for the Food Drive and Poker Run is the Timber Creek Grill near the corner of Argonne Avenue and Trent Avenue. During the run, there will be five stops: the Deer Park VFW Post, Elk VFW, Popeye’s in Priest River and Miller’s in Spirit Lake where they will have a booth. The final stop is at Curley’s in Hauser. In addition to playing a hand of poker at each location, there will be tickets sold for a raffle and a 50/50 drawing.

“At each stop, if you’re playing poker, you can draw a card and make up a hand. There will be a meet and greet collecting canned foods. At Curley’s, we’ll draw for the raffle, 50/50, and see who has the best hand,” Johnson said. There will also be a barbeque to purchase food. Part of the barbeque proceeds will be donated to the event.

The CVMA Food Drive and Poker Run will be September 3 at 10am at the Timber Creek Grill in Spokane Valley. The ride is $15 per vehicle or $10 with three donated canned goods. Each hand of poker is $5; one-quarter of the collected money will go to the highest and lowest hands. For more information about participating in this event or donating, visit northidahocvma.org or call 208.457.7179.

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