Although the winner of the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge was paid his $500,000, none of the charities listed on the Hoka Hey site have or will receive any money from the event. The reason, according to Jon Compton, who described himself as the Executive Producer for the Hoka Hey 2011 run, is that there were no proceeds from this year's event. The organizers lost money. Compton didn't say how much money was lost, but that it was a substantial amount.
The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge was an endurance race in June and July from Key West, FL, to Homer, AK. More than 600 competitors paid a $1,000 entry fee, and somewhere over 200 of them actually made it to Homer. Will Barclay was declared the winner and an award ceremony was held at the Broken Spoke Campground outside of Sturgis, SD, during Sturgis Bike Week.
The list of veterans, Native American, and other organizations that were originally to have benefitted from the run include the following:
- Paralyzed Veterans of America
- Warrior Weekend
- Disabled American Veterans
- American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.
- Vietnam Veterans of America (Chapter 83)
- American Indian College Fund
- The Red Cloud Humanitarian Fund
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Event organizer Jim Durham also touted the event as something to raise money to bring drinking water to residents of the Pine Ridge Reservation. Speaking at the award ceremony, he said that, "My cousin hasn't had water in her house for 15 years. Last week, she turned on her faucet in her kitchen . . . and water came out of it."
No mention was made at that time of the charities and whether they would receive anything. Asked where the money came from for water, Compton said that was paid for by some of the Hoka Hey riders who were distressed to see the situation when they stopped there on the ride to Alaska.
A response to an inquiry this week from one of the named charities was copied to Annie Molloy, another of the organizers. Presumably that email prompted the call from Compton. The gist of Compton's remarks were that a) there was no money to be paid out, b) this year's event was undeniably poorly organized, and c) next year's will be run much better.
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Comments
That is so sad that all the people who were counting on that money won't get to see a dime. However, chalk it up to motorcyclists being a great group for getting the water running.
So besides Durham's cousin, how many other households on the reservation has Durham helped? That's a rhetorical question to which we all know the answer.
Since using veterans' charities worked so well last time to rope in suckers ...er, warriors, I have it on good authority (and can provide a link) that they plan to use them in the same manner again for 2011. Talk about nerve.
Concerning no profits being made on Hoka Hey 2010, the organizer's previous [published] statements as to money taken in and money paid out indicate profits of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
my guess is that the charity(last paragraph in article) that contacted HHC asking where their 2010 money was, was written as a direct reaction to the HHC's request to use those same charities AGAIN for 2011...
huh???...
after having totally disregarded/ignored/brushed the charities aside during the HHC 2010 pre-start rider meeting, during any interviews during the event, and at the closing party and award ceremony in Sturgis (instead, it was "i lied to get you here"... "it was all about helping my people" said Durham: yep, HIS people exactly = ONE "adopted" family member, who had burst a water pipe at some point and it had gone unrepaired). (i have a recording of the rider meeting and the Sturgis ceremony is posted a cpl places)...
now they want to list those charities again!?!??! i guess at least they asked first this time (i have a copy of the "so sorry, but we'll do ya better next year" letter also)
how any one with any self respect can work with JD on putting another HHC together is drinkin too much of the koolaid... or deserves no respect himself.
Hoka Hey was hokey from the beginning.
John Compton is a pathological liar as are the rest of the folks involved with the Hoka Hey fiasco.
Left unmentioned was the fact that the work done at Jim Durham's cousin's house was never paid for. The man who did the work did so after being promised payments that never came from Durham and his partner in lies, John White.
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