8/9/2011
Dear Vee & M.A.V. Foundation,
I want to thank you so much from the deepest place of my heart for helping us in our time of need. In the midst of trying to heal and recover from my bike accident, I was so overwhelmed with worry of living on just my husbands income, not knowing how we were going to make our bills or whether we could make our mortgage because of the insurance being tied up. While my insurance is slow and still has not given me any relief, you however were quick to step up and help us in a big way financially. We are so grateful! With many prayers, I am healing quickly from three broken bones in my left leg and hope to be back on my "feet" again soon! Thank you again, for caring and doing what you guy's do! May God continue to bless this foundation abundantly. We hope to repay you someday soon! :)
Vee, it was such a pleasure talking to you on the phone! I felt a connection instantly and thank you for responding to my application so quickly! I sure hope to meet you some day soon! Thank you for caring so much for people you don't even know. I sure hope to meet you some time soon!
God bless
Donna and Tim Tidwell
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Cross Roads Article - Part 1 - Part 2
Letter from : Donna Plaisted
“We motorcyclists get together and donate our time and dollars to support many deserving charities throughout the year. Yes, bikers are the first to answer the call when someone is in need, however, where can the biker turn when he or she is the one in need? Many times following an accident we find ourselves faced with a long recovery, slow legal settlements, limited insurance settlements, mounting bills, and no income”...and this was just my situation.
M.A.V. to the Rescue
I was traveling along Rt. 926 South in Chester County, PA on a beautiful sunny day in August of 2008. I thought I’d take this ride by myself before I was to meet with some of the members of Tri-State to go with them to Cowtown Rodeo. As I went up the long hill from the Pocopson Rd. railroad tracks and intersection, I had to down shift my Harley as I always do on that particular hill because my little bike can’t make it all the way in 5th gear. As I rounded the second curve near the top, I saw the green pick up truck coming towards me with his turn signal on. Of course, he saw me,” I thought. How wrong I was. I was only about 15 feet from him when he decided to turn left right in front of me. I couldn’t believe it. What was he thinking?
“Sh-i-t-t-t-t-t!” I yelled as I slammed on my brakes. But I knew I was going to hit even while trying to miss the rear of his vehicle. Everything was in slow motion as my front tire and fender slammed into him, and I bounced backward, holding on tight to the handle bars. Luckily I was wearing a helmet as I hit the ground hard on my head, back and wrist, the bike landing on my legs. Fortunately I had engine guards on the bike, so the machine did not touch my legs much.
As I lay there in disbelief, all I could think of was my bike...my poor baby! Smashed! Yes, I know it’s just a machine, but for me it was a connection with my wild self and my freedom. It was a part of me. I tried to get up from my downhill position, but something was wrong. My arm was dead. I couldn’t move it, and I knew it was broken. Suddenly there were five or six bikers surrounding me trying to help. Three had been traveling in back of the truck, and three had been traveling behind me as well…my witnesses. They lifted the bike off my legs and called 911. It seemed (that instantly) an ambulance had arrived, and the paramedics were putting a neck brace on me and were pulling my gloves off (after cutting them) with me screaming in pain. ”My baby! Someone call Tri-State HOG and Keyes towing! Don’t let anyone take my bike!” I couldn’t have cared less about myself!
When I got to the hospital, Dean Keyes and Marc were there by my side even before my sister arrived! They assured me that my bike would be taken care of and not to worry. A few days later, a huge vase of flowers arrived from my fellow riders at Tri-State, which cheered me up immensely. It was so nice to know that so many of my biker friends cared about me.
As it turned out, I had a fractured wrist, a badly bruised breast with a hematoma, very stiff back muscles, and an emergency room bill of over $22,000! Now what was I to do? I couldn’t work at the keyboard at my day job and surely couldn’t lift heavy pieces of glass and framed artwork at my night job. No income and no help! I was frantic!
Then two Tri-State members, Mike Mejewski and Bob Burrell, told me of an organization out of Bear, Delaware that would help: Motorcycle Accident Victims Foundation or M.A.V. I called two very nice people (and bikers themselves), Jim-Bob and Karen (Ski) Golden who were the representatives. They sent me the necessary papers to fill out and told me that if the board approved it, M.A.V. would pay any of my past due bills, including my mortgage, until I got back on my feet. What a God send! M.A.V. to the rescue!
Let me tell you what a great foundation this is, and give you a little history of M.A.V.:
M.A.V. was founded by Debbie Brennan in 1992 when a friend of hers, Rob Denstin, suffered a motorcycle accident at the mercy of a drunk driver, and there was no one to help. His wife was pregnant and spent most of her time at her husband’s bedside in the hospital. His injuries were serious, so his hospital stay was lengthy, and bills started mounting up. That’s when Debbie sat down with some friends and decided that there should be something out there for the average person. Not everyone is financially set that if something happens they'll be fine. She started M.A.V. to help out those who are truly accident victims. M.A.V. was to be more than just money. It was to be a support system; information of the different organizations out there to help people in similar situations.
When she started out not many people wanted to listen to her, first, because she was not a rider, but a passenger, and second because she was a GIRL! She also had no contacts until someone told her about Jim-Bob Golden from Bear, Delaware. With his constant guidance, and after about 6 months of applications, paperwork and seemingly endless legalities, her hard work paid off. They needed exposure, so one day Jim-Bob told her to meet him at Comcast Cable Company where (much to her surprise) he was able to (through Ray Brown the show’s organizer) put her on the Toys for Tots show, which was a pretty big event. After that things took off. She went to different organizations to speak and to obtain the much needed help for M.A.V. to happen. By the end of the year, M.A.V. had it’s first event and she soon became president of the organization, but after a time, and because of medical reasons, she stepped down and Jim-Bob took over. In Debbie’s own words: “I can honestly say Jim-Bob gave me faith and helped me every step of the way.”
Recently, M.A.V. became listed with the United Way as a non-profit organization. It was formed by Debbie and other bikers...for bikers, to assist with food, clothing, and finances when the rider-victim of a motorcycle accident is clearly not at fault, was not cited in the accident, and was not drinking or on drugs. M.A.V. is an all-volunteer foundation consisting of a Board of Directors and present and former officers of local motorcycle clubs. They rely on support from fund raisers, festivals, bike shows and events in order to help the extended biker family in times of crises. It is important to understand that the financial assistance given by M.A.V. is used to pay bills, and if at all possible, should be paid back in order to continue to help others in the motorcycle community.
I am so grateful to these hardworking people for their assistance with my circumstances, and I urge everyone to support them. Even though the legal and medical part of my case has not yet been settled, I am now back at work at my full time day job and on light duty at my night job.
Thank you Motorcycle Accident Victims Foundation, thank you Mike and Bob, thank you Dean Keyes and Marc, thank you Jill, Roe and countless others who cared, and thank you Ski and Jim-Bob for all your help. Bikers are the best people in the world!
Donna Plaisted
Tri-State HOG member
FYI:
Motorcycle Accident Victims Foundation
P.O. Box 248
Bear, Delaware 19701
Jim-Bob Golden, President
Mavest1994@verizon.net
1-800-MAV-3070
