ORWIGSBURG, Pa. — Motorcycles throughout Schaeffer's Harley-Davidson near Orwigsburg are now decorated with pink ribbons to promote the upcoming cancer awareness weekend.
Employee Donna Dukemen came up with the idea for the benefit 14 years ago. She worked at a hospital at the time and went through her own fight with cancer.
"Unfortunately, when I was diagnosed, this program was not around. I was diagnosed in 2002 with an extremely rare cancer. And most patients don't live beyond three years," she said.
But this wasn't Dukemen's first experience with cancer.
"My father passed away from cancer, my oldest brother had cancer, my youngest brother had cancer. It's in our family history, so I want to give back to the community and to those patients to make it a little less stressful," Dukemen added.
" I lost my mother to esophageal cancer about six years ago. We all know of a survivor or a loved one that we have lost, and I think part of our fundraising efforts and charity is to reach out to those and touch them in different ways," said Geoff Bogotuik, Schaeffer's general manager.
Throughout Friday and Saturday, Schaeffer's Harley-Davidson will raise money through raffles, food vendors, and luminaries in memory of those who have lost their lives to cancer.
Having this every year has allowed them to raise over $45,000 to help the Lehigh Valley - Schuylkill cancer program.
"We've been able to fund their gentle yoga class so the patients and their caregivers can go for free. And we also started giving money to the patients receiving cancer treatments since the pandemic and helping them ease the cost of gas being so expensive," said Dukemen.
The cancer awareness weekend will kick off this Friday at 5 p.m. at Schaeffer's Harley-Davidson, off Route 61 near Orwigsburg.
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