THUNDER BAY – When Jeremy Hanecka’s son Ezekiel was two years old, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 liver and lung cancer.
Today, he’s a healthy 18-year-old.
Growing up, the youngster took part in activities put on by Camp Quality, so a year ago his father was devastated to learn funding had dried up for the organization during COVID-19.
He decided to do something about it, organizing and staging the Integrity Tour, gathering together motorcyclists from around Thunder Bay for an afternoon of barbecues, bike games and a ride.
When all was said and done, they’d raised more than $23,000 for Camp Quality.
The Integrity Tour is an even more ambitious event this summer.
“When I found out in the middle of COVID that they weren’t getting any money, they weren’t getting any support, we’d put something together in a parking lot and raise some money and it just grew from there,” Hanecka said.
“We’re just continuing to do that and continuing to bring it forward and make this bigger and better and just keep supporting that cause.”
It’s an afternoon of fun, being held at the Harley Davidson dealership on Arthur Street.
“We’ve got live music, we’ve got raffles, we’ve got all kinds of things happening, like biker games – kind of a classic parking lot party,” Hanecka said.
“Then afterwards we’re all going to go for a ride and we’re going to end up at Mount Baldy, where we’ve got live music going on out there and we’re giving the bike away.”
The bike, the grand prize raffle, is a 2022 Harley Davidson Street Glide valued at $33,000 and donated by Harley Davidson Thunder Bay.
Shop owner Mandy Ciotucha said she met Hanecka last year and admitted she was skeptical the Integrity Tour would happen, particularly while a pandemic was still going on.
He quickly proved her wrong.
“I showed up the day of and I was just so proud. I didn’t really know him other than as a customer of mine and he asked if we wanted to something bigger and better and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ I wanted to jump on board right away,” Ciotucha said.
“Obviously the cause is amazing and this is what I live for, so it was just a perfect fit.”
It also says a lot about Thunder Bay’s biker community, she added.
“The biker community is always doing these types of things. It’s wonderful.”
The party continues on Saturday until 5 p.m., when it shifts to Mount Baldy.
