Dozens of motorcyclists ride into Waterville to deliver donation to children’s home

Members of the Widows Sons of Maine and American Legion biker groups roll into the Waterville campus of the Maine Children’s Home on Saturday to deliver a $3,000 donation. Dylan Tusinski/Morning Sentinel

WATERVILLE — The thunder of dozens of motorcycle engines roared through town Saturday morning as hundreds of bikers rolled into Waterville to deliver a check for $3,000 to a local children’s home.

Leather-clad members of the American Legion and the Widows Sons of Maine’s Newport chapter arrived by police escort at around noon to hand over the donation to the Maine Children’s Home. Seventy-seven bikers rode to the Children’s Home campus from Newport and around central Maine, Widows Son and Band of Brothers Chapter President Aaron Newhall said.

“This event is spectacular. This organization does a lot for kids, whether that’s giving them homes or giving them diapers,” Newhall said Saturday. “They do good work, and this money is for them to keep doing good work.”

Members of the Widows Sons hope that the gift will have an indelible mark on both the Children’s Home and the kids it serves, Newhall said. The biker group is a masonic organization with a self-stated purpose of socializing and giving back to the community.

The donation serves as a sort of welcoming gift for the new executive director of the Maine Children’s Home, Candace Marriner, who stepped into the role earlier this week. Both Newhall and Marriner said they hoped the event will become an annual tradition.

“The community involvement in donations and volunteer hours is really what allows us to continue to provide these support services, and we’re so grateful for the Widows Sons for recognizing that and coming out today to show their support,” Marriner said.

Based at 93 Silver St., Maine Children’s Home works to build and strengthen families and children by offering five core programs: counseling, adoption, young-parent support, caregiver resources and winter assistance for families. The organization, founded in 1899, says it supports more than 3,000 people each year through its initiatives.