Cyclists sought for charity run to Pa.

Motorcycle enthusiasts and others are invited to come along on a “Ride for Life,” the first of what is expected to be an annual event to benefit an area first aid squad.

The Old Bridge Red & White First Aid and Rescue Squad is hoping to buy a new ambulance, stretchers, uniforms and other items with money raised from the Oct. 3 charity motorcycle run to Pennsylvania.

The 50-mile charity ride between the squad’s main building at 200 Marlboro Road and New Hope, Pa., is co-sponsored by La Palette, The French Gourmet Cafe, located in the Circle Manor Shopping Center at 5 Route 516.

The rescue squad consists of more than 60 volunteers serving more than 15,000 residents in a 15-square-mile area of South Old Bridge, according to its Web site, www.obfars.org.

The squad has had few opportunities to raise funds, and members are in dire need of uniforms, stretchers and an ambulance to replace an older vehicle. Also, the squad’s headquarters are in desperate need of repairs, said Paulette Lebow, co-owner of La Pallette and an event organizer.

“They’re in need of a lot of things,” said Lebow, who runs the popular eatery with her husband, Mort.

Since opening their business three years ago, the Lebows have come to know many of the Red & White squad’s volunteers as frequent customers and friends.

“A lot of [the squad members] have other jobs,” Paulette said. “But they’re a vital part of the town. This event is a good way to help them and make the public more aware of what they do.”

As the official check-in location for the run, the Red & White squad building will be serving a continental breakfast, thanks to La Palette, for all participants prior to the kickoff at 11 a.m.

After leaving the squad building, participants will get a brief tour of some of Old Bridge’s roads, according to Mort Lebow. The initial run through township roads is intended to create awareness of the squad’s presence and service to the community, he added.

It is hoped that area residents will be awake by the time the motorcycles come roaring by.

“We’ll be waking up the town,” Mort Lebow said.

The local tour will take participants north on Marlboro Road to Route 516 east, continuing under the Route 9 overpass, past the municipal center to Cottrell Road south, to Ticetown Road and Throckmorton Lane, and finally back to Route 516.

The cyclists will then head onward through southwestern Middlesex County into Mercer County and over the bridge to New Hope, Mort Lebow said.

The ride to New Hope takes about an hour, he said. Upon reaching their destinations, participants are free to spend the day there or return home.

A police escort is expected to accompany the motorcyclists, and some squad members are also expected to ride along, Mort Lebow said.

Noncyclists are invited to ride along in carpools in regular vehicles.

Volunteers are needed to help with registration and other nonriding duties.

“People have come to us and said, ‘I don’t ride a motorcycle, but what can I do that day?’ ” Mort Lebow said.

Preregistration at $45 per person is due by Sept. 15. Registration after that date is $72. A T-shirt to be worn during the ride and a raffle ticket are included in both prices.

Participants can register at the squad’s Web site or by coming into La Pallette.

Area merchants are invited to set up a table at a vendor and business exposition, which will be held inside the squad building from 8 to 11 a.m. Interested merchants can rent table space for a fee and display their products and services to participants, the Web site states.

As business owners and township residents, the Lebows felt compelled to give a boost to the volunteers who answer calls any time of the day or night, often leaving their families behind to respond to sometimes high-risk situations.

“We should be able to take the time out of our own busy schedules to help them,” Paulette Lebow said. “You never know when you are going to need them.”

Rain dates, if needed, are Oct. 10 and Oct. 17.

Area rescue squad

needs new uniforms,

ambulance, stretchers

BY SUE M. MORGAN

Staff Writer