Many people still ask us..... "Who Is Frank?"
"It's for such a good cause, I just hope it gets bigger and better each year."
...Frank Aulino
"Frankie always loved kids and wanted to do anything to make things better for them. We're carrying on the tradition."
...Buton Rudzik
"The run is designed for families and for those who don't ride bikes, yet want to join the fun. We welcome families and anyone who
wants to come - in cars, vans, trucks, whatever. "
...Kevin Woolever
Well we'd like to tell you who Frank was and why this run is named after him.
Frank Aulino, the founder of this event, was an active
member and officer of the
Longmont Moose Lodge. He pulled his friends and local community businesses together to
raise money for children
who suffer from life-threatening diseases.
A father and grandfather, he was a man who cared for the welfare of children and went
out
of his way to do whatever he could to help. In 1986 he originated a poker run as a
benefit for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Participants in the event started the morning off with a breakfast at the Moose Lodge, and then they traveled along a specified course,
stopping at certain points to draw a playing card. At the end of the ride the players turned in their 5-card hand with the hope it
would be the prize- winning highest poker hand.
A large amount of money was raised on the initial run and Frankie began making plans
for the next year, which turned out to be an even bigger event, with increasing revenues and participants. He was just coming off
the high of that run and planning the next year's run when he died suddenly from a heart attack in July 1987. Frankie's Moose brothers
who were left picked up the torch and organized a run that was later renamed in his honor.
The Frank Aulino Ride for Children became
an annual event, raising funds for Muscular Dystrophy, Denver Children's Hospital and the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Colorado.
Buton
Rudzik, who co-chaired the event for at least a decade after Frank's passing and one of four of the last members remaining from Frankie's
original committee said, the run is a yearly memorial to Frankie and what he believed in.
As in years past our Committee Chairmen
continually strive to carry on the ideals that Frank set for us so many years ago.
Participants, if they choose, will travel in a
parade across Ken Pratt Blvd. From there they will then travel to five designated stops ending finally at at the final party.
The
afternoon events include a pig roast, salads, beverages, and live entertainment plus a few other surprises.
About Us
Copyright (C) 2001 Frank's Ride for Children, All Rights Reserved