Ride for Kids co-founder dies

From the American Motorcyclist Association

PICKERINGTON, OH -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) offers its most sincere condolences to the family, friends, co-workers and volunteer supporters of Ride for Kids co-founder and Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF) co-founder Mike Traynor, who died on Sept. 12 following a brief illness. Traynor was 70.

Traynor was known throughout the motorcycling community as a tireless, dedicated and forward-looking individual who turned his passion for finding the cure for childhood brain tumors into a nationwide program of charitable rides that, since 1984, has raised more than $50 million for the PBTF's research and family support programs.

Over the years, the AMA has sanctioned well over 400 Ride for Kids events, each promoted and conducted by devoted local volunteers and patient-families who found satisfaction in giving something back to the unfortunate children afflicted with one of the deadliest childhood cancers.

"Everyone who met Mike knows how inspiring he was, not only on behalf of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, but to everyone in motorcycling and beyond," said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. "Mike Traynor elevated the image of motorcycling in so many ways, and what he created in support of pediatric brain tumor research is truly ground breaking and monumental. We have lost a great friend, a great motorcyclist and a great philanthropist."

Ride for Kids events have been staged since 1984, when Traynor and his wife Dianne started the charitable effort in Atlanta. In 2009, the PBTF will conduct 39 events across the country. The hallmark of every Ride for Kids has been each event's professionalism, efficiency and ultimate success. This, in turn, attracted the support of thousands of volunteers, permitting the PBTF to pass along the vast majority of the funds it collected to the foundation's mission.

Traynor's vision, with the backing of American Honda, guided the PBTF to eventually become the world's largest philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting the search for the cause and cure for childhood brain tumors. Traynor's efforts also helped establish the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States, as well as the Journal of Neuro-Oncology, the premier international publication of the Society of Neuro-Oncology.

"Thanks to the Ride for Kids, tens of thousands of non-motorcyclists, especially those in the medical community, have been exposed to the generosity of the motorcycling community," Dingman said. "Mike Traynor did more to promote the positive perception of motorcyclists in the eyes of the general public than few other riders. While he will be greatly missed, the foundation's mission carries on, and we encourage all riders to continue supporting the noble cause that Mike started 25 years ago."

For more information on Mike Traynor, the Ride for Kids program, and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation go to RideforKids.org or PBTFUS.org.