stories and photos compiled by: Ricky Jimenez Carrasco
I first started giving blood on a regular basis when I taught middle school English in San Elizario. My former students at the high school had organized a blood drive in honor of the 9/11 victims, since the attack had just happened about a month before. My students knew that if I went, I would encourage others to as well. My students lectured me about the benefits of giving blood, both to myself and to the community. I listened, more excited that they were excited about something and they were willing to give, not only of their blood, but of their time and energy. I was already a biker back in 2001 and my students convinced me that it was, of course, in my own best interest. Around 2005, I started donating red blood cells, called “2RBC”, because I was informed that, since it took more out of me, it also took longer and involved a little more pain. Again, my friends and students reminded me that I am a big guy and I should be able to take a little pain for those already in pain and in need. The first time I donated via the 2RBC method, I rode my big black 1999 NightTrain to the center. My arm was almost too sore to squeeze the clutch on the way home. In 2008, I began to give platelets, a process that can take up to 3 hours of lying down with the needle attached to my arm. I was informed that I was Rh negative, my blood does not have a particular common protein. My blood goes directly to pediatric cancer patients.
That being said, why do I give blood and why did I again donate for this story? Because nobody in my family has ever really been that sick. I have had the good fortune of having a good immune system. I’ve had a 12 hour cold in November, the only time in 2011 I was under the weather. I’d like to think that someone out there is benefitting from my donation. And, heaven forbid, if I should ever need that kind of help, someone else, a family member, friend or stranger would do the same for me.
Ricky Jimenez Carrasco, “A Positive”, blood donor since 1989.
“I donate every 56 days because I know someone will need it. I’m ‘O negative’, only 7% of the country and 3% of El Paso has that kind of blood. We can give to anybody, including accident victims who can’t be typed right away and newborns who really are not typed. Our blood is always in short supply. I don’t donate because of my job, my job has taught me how important it is to give. We have 2 drives here at Barnett and this is easily the biggest business based drive in El Paso, the bikers ALWAYS come to help. I also wish to let people know that almost anyone can give, but you have to come in to get checked out first. I remember a drive we had at Cohen stadium. A little old lady, about 84 years old, waited in the sun and was determined to donate. We took her donation and she just seemed so happy to be able to do so. If she can, almost anybody can!”
LuAnn Wieland, Marketing Manager, United Blood Systems, “O Negative”
“I really just give to come hang out with good people. They call to come save a couple lives every couple months. How can I say no to that?”
Rich, “A Positive”
“My mom passed away last year. It turns out she had cancer and nobody knew. My dad currently has protrate cancer. That’s why I donate.”
Veronica, UBS Donor Care Technician
“I come to help save lives. It’s a gift of life to other people. I feel like I’m healthy and I need to share that.
George, 59 years old,
“I’ve donated for over 20 years. I’ve never needed it, but I have a niece that survived a car accident and I know she needed blood. She survived.”
David, Donor for 20 years, 62 years old.
“The community needs to give to give back. I give red blood cells because it’s needed the most. I come about twice a year, usually here at Barnett’s or at the center. Thank God I haven’t needed it personally, but if feels good to be able to save someone’s life.”
Tony, “A Negative”
“Someone needs it more than I do. I’ve never needed blood but I have had friends in Afghanistan and Iraq who have.”
‘Needles’, Sgt at Arms, “Organized Chaos” club.
“Oddly enough, I don’t even like needles! I’ve been donating for more than 10 years.”
Boozer, member “Organized Chaos” club, “O postive”
“People always need blood. Hopefully if a biker needs it, I’ll be there to help. I myself have never had an accident on the bike and I’ve ridden for 50 years on the freeways of Houston and Los Angeles!”
Beto Tellez, 66 years old
“I had an emergency C-section when I delivered my son. I needed 6 transfusions of blood and had to stay in the hospital for a month because of the pregnancy. My boy is 29 years old now.”
Marva
“I drive a tow truck for a living. I see alot of accidents out on the road. I see alot of things. This is my way of giving back.”
Tony
Category Lifestyles |
Photos and story by: Ricky Jimenez Carrasco
La Hermandad MC is one of the newest clubs in El Paso that has already begun to make an impact in the community. The club, made up of many area business professionals, seeks to help the community by using their common resources to give to those charities that make a difference for people in need. According to Robert “Guns” Alvarez, president of La Hermandad, the club has helped such non-profit organizations such as La Posada Home, the YWCA Transitional Living Center, Aliviane, Project Amistad and the Ronald McDonald House, among others this year.
Club members are encouraged to help out other clubs in their charitable efforts. At this month’s Chamucos MC gift donations to the Lee Moor Children’s Home, Hermandad VP “Philly”, a Walgreen’s manager, was able to bring pharmacists who administered free flu shots to the kids who might not otherwise have received the inoculations. Hermandad member “Wolf” was an important part of the Kings and Priest’s annual “Biker Sunday” memorial.
For the recent Coalition toy run, La Hermandad teamed up with other businesses and the Marines Toys for Tots campaign to present a check back to the Coalition in the amount of $1136 for the purpose of buying more toys. The Coalition then was able to add those toys to the already sizable amount that they would donate back to the community.
The photos here were taken from the starting point for the 2nd annual Boys and Girls Club of El Paso toy drive, sponsored by Walgreens, Pepsi, and El Paso Electric and hosted by La Hermandad. Alvarez described how Hermandad is trying to contribute to El Paso, “This year, we joined forces with Operation Santa in an effort to increase our collection of toys and help with the distribution of toys to the various organizations we help. Our goal is to give back to the community. In a time of economic stress, we simply try to reach out to the children in our city and provide some holiday cheer.” About 200 toys were collected to give out needy families. “The fact is that all 42 El Paso clubs contribute a ton of support to the community” and La Hermandad is indeed doing their part.
Category Featured |
Photos and Story by: Ricky J. Carrasco
In these images, you can see what the El Paso biker is really about: their bikes, camaraderie, riding, pulling together for what is important, something bigger than themselves. What does the general public see? Leather, loud pipes, tattoos, “Sons of Anarchy”, bad attitude. For the most part, the EP biker does not care about their perceived image. They will continue to do their work in the community despite a general prejudice and fear against them.
On November 6th, the annual Coalition Toy Run ran this year from its usual Sunland Park beginning to this year’s destination at Cohen Stadium in the northeast. The numbers are impressive, more so because they are produced by the same leather clad, tattooed, big rough bikers people shy away from. Almost 900 people registered, close to 2000 bikes participating. More than a thousand toys were collected at the time of the run and almost six thousand toys will eventually be distributed because of this run. “We get requests for these toys throughout the year from various community and non-profit agencies that serve needy children all over the county. Such agencies like the YWCA, Aliviane, the Socorro migrant program, programs that serve the various colonias in the area all request, receive and distribute these toys for us,” says Ryan LaBarbera, Coalition Chairman. “Even from about 8 years ago, when Margarita’s on the east side hosted this event, the event has grown immensely. “
The Coalition has worked hard to have its clubs and EP bikers participate in the community. “We heavily suggest that our clubs participate in the community, host runs and give to charity. We try to keep our members informed about what’s going on, not just in the biker community, but in El Paso in general. I think that the community knows that we are involved because we have many members of the community, agency representatives and area politicians, come to our meetings. They know we participate, they know we vote. I think they know we care.”
Gracie Martinez, President of the Road Queens MC and Coalition Secretary, also stated that the Coalition is a very inclusive organization, “We always encourage independent riders to participate in the coalition. Every rider, whether they belong to a member club or not, whether they ride a little or a lot, can come participate in meetings.” Gracie says that many parade participants only come to be part of the parade, register, drop off toys, ride in the parade, then leave, never attending the party afterwards.
The secret to the Coalition’s success has been this inclusion, camaraderie, and communication between the clubs. LaBarbera remembered a story from that day, “The mayor invited an acquaintance from out of town to come ride with us in the parade. The gentleman was amazed by what he saw before the parade: a thousand bikers from many different clubs, cruisers, choppers, sport bikes, all just hanging out peacefully. We’re used to it and we expect it, but it’s certainly not the norm outside of El Paso. The public gets stuck in the leather, in the image of the ‘biker’. But the truth is that here in El Paso, it simply hasn’t been the biker getting arrested for drunkenness, for fighting in public, for generally getting into trouble.”
I told LaBarbera that last year, I attended the bikers Christmas visit to University Medical Hospital where they visited sick children and gave out toys. About 40 “typical” bikers attended, all wearing black leather, most wearing patches, and mine was the only news camera there.
“We really haven’t seen a change in the biker image. We can only keep doing what we’re doing. We know that as a whole, bikers represent one of the biggest charity organizations in the country. We in El Paso have 42 clubs, more than half are always active. We have charitable runs most weekends going on somewhere, most of which have at least 200 people participating. We support one another in .“
LaBarbera, Martinez, and Larry “Dimple” Galvan, Coalition Co-Chair and Survivors MC president, would like to thank everybody who came out and participated in the parade and in the many functions throughout the year and everybody who helped in making this toy run a success from the owners of Cohen Stadium to the EP Police Department for escorting the route. They look forward to the distribution of the toys this year and another successful efforts through the El Paso biker community in the years to come.
Category Featured |
