The ABATE of Ohio Foundation is a non-profit charity focused on motorcycle safety, education, and awareness. The Foundation Board is staffed by seven volunteers that represent a combined 100+ years of motorcycling. It is our intention to make roads and highways safer and friendlier toward motorcycles.
Our most notable endeavor is the “Look Twice, Save a Life” yard sign. It started with a $200 grant from the American Motorcycle Association and now thousands of these signs have been produced and sold. The signs provide a method of increasing motorcycle awareness at the individual level. The logo has also been duplicated onto bumper stickers, silicone wristbands, large semi-truck stickers, printed billboards and most recently, digital billboards.
Our most successful fundraising effort is the raffle of a motorcycle, which we have done for the last fifteen years. Funds from the raffle are used to enhance safety and awareness programs here in Ohio and nationally. Locally in Ohio, we supply awareness educators with “Look Twice” wristbands, pens, and bumper stickers to use during motorcycle awareness sessions. We have also produced educator manuals and training materials.
Funds generated by our efforts have sponsored scholarship grants to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) ‘Meeting of the Minds’, donations to the MRF Awareness and Education national program, as well as supporting the ABATE of Ohio Seminar. These events have featured regional, national and international speakers that have done presentations regarding motorcycle safety, education and awareness.
The Foundation also receives grants. These monies were used to purchase fatal vision goggles, a breathalyzer, and blood alcohol pocket cards. These instructional materials have been used to introduce motorcycle riders to the increased danger of riding under the influence. Presentations have been done at ‘Destination Cyclesafe’ (a Safe Community event) in the Cincinnati area, the ABATE of Ohio Seminar and also at Ohio Bike Week in Sandusky, Ohio.
It is the hope of the Foundation Board members that our efforts help to avert the tragic loss of lives of fellow motorcyclists here in Ohio.
