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For the News Tribune
KEYSER - Keyser businessman Noel Ravenscroft and his wife Julia have donated their custom-painted 2007 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 to the USA Cheerleaders, who will in turn donate 50 percent of the proceeds from the raffle to the Warriors United: The National Wounded Warrior Initiative military charity.
Ravenscroft, owner of Blue Penguin Technologies, planned to donate the Harley this past summer to the USA Cheerleaders, but decided to have the bike painted in patriotic colors to match their uniforms. The raffle drawing of the Harley will take place on July 4, 2012.
Ken Martin, the executive director/founder of the USA Cheerleaders, is very excited about the opportunity of raffling off the Harley.
“It is very rare for a donation of this sort to come around, and we are honored to be the recipients of such an amazing bike,” he said.
The USA Cheerleaders are a professional cheerleading organization that supports our men and women in the United States Military. The mission statement confirms the members’ devotion and commitment… The USA Cheerleaders are a dedicated and patriotic group of professional cheerleaders with unwavering respect for our military, the flag and our country. Our mission is to support our military and their families, the military community, service members and every citizen of the United States. We honor our American heroes… past, present, and future with a determined sense of patriotic duty ensuring that they are “Not Forgotten.”
The organization has teams of cheerleaders around the country based in Maryland (members come from Maryland, Virginia, D.C., Pennsylvania and West Virginia), New York (members from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey), North Carolina, and Florida with plans to branch out to Texas and California in the next two years. Each member volunteers their time and pays expenses to and from appearances.
The raffle of the Harley will help them continue their service to the military for the next few years.
Ravenscroft (who is a Navy veteran) and Martin met at a wounded warrior event a couple years ago and became friends. After many discussions with Mr. Ravenscroft, Mr. Martin decided to move the USA Cheerleaders main office here to Keyser this past fall and just recently added a new member to the organization from McCoole.
The newest addition, Mariah, is the daughter of Keyser businesswoman Marlee Fitzgerald, owner of Life Images Photography Studio.
The Harley is currently being displayed in the window of Life Images Photography Studio at 60 N. Main Street, Keyser.
The custom paint job on the Harley was also done here in Keyser by Jason’s Custom Paint and Collision, on Carroll Avenue in Keyser.
In addition to running the USA Cheerleaders office, Martin also does work with Cedar Fair Theme Parks, in which he hosts their annual cheerleading competitions at the Kings Dominion and Worlds of Fun theme park in Kansas City, Mo., both of which he will run from his office here in Keyser.
There is also talk of starting a Junior USA Cheerleaders program, where children will start to learn about community service and giving back to those who serve our country. He is looking into the prospect of starting an All-Star Cheerleading Gym, which will be the national training facility for the USA Cheerleaders and also home to the All-Star program for children from youth to college level.
Martin has worked with some of the nation’s best All-Star Cheerleading programs: the All-Star Rebels out of Melbourne, Fla., who have won many numerous national championships, and the Maryland Twisters based in Glen Burnie, Md.
For the News Tribune
KEYSER - Keyser businessman Noel Ravenscroft and his wife Julia have donated their custom-painted 2007 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 to the USA Cheerleaders, who will in turn donate 50 percent of the proceeds from the raffle to the Warriors United: The National Wounded Warrior Initiative military charity.
Ravenscroft, owner of Blue Penguin Technologies, planned to donate the Harley this past summer to the USA Cheerleaders, but decided to have the bike painted in patriotic colors to match their uniforms. The raffle drawing of the Harley will take place on July 4, 2012.
Ken Martin, the executive director/founder of the USA Cheerleaders, is very excited about the opportunity of raffling off the Harley.
“It is very rare for a donation of this sort to come around, and we are honored to be the recipients of such an amazing bike,” he said.
The USA Cheerleaders are a professional cheerleading organization that supports our men and women in the United States Military. The mission statement confirms the members’ devotion and commitment… The USA Cheerleaders are a dedicated and patriotic group of professional cheerleaders with unwavering respect for our military, the flag and our country. Our mission is to support our military and their families, the military community, service members and every citizen of the United States. We honor our American heroes… past, present, and future with a determined sense of patriotic duty ensuring that they are “Not Forgotten.”
The organization has teams of cheerleaders around the country based in Maryland (members come from Maryland, Virginia, D.C., Pennsylvania and West Virginia), New York (members from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey), North Carolina, and Florida with plans to branch out to Texas and California in the next two years. Each member volunteers their time and pays expenses to and from appearances.
The raffle of the Harley will help them continue their service to the military for the next few years.
Ravenscroft (who is a Navy veteran) and Martin met at a wounded warrior event a couple years ago and became friends. After many discussions with Mr. Ravenscroft, Mr. Martin decided to move the USA Cheerleaders main office here to Keyser this past fall and just recently added a new member to the organization from McCoole.
The newest addition, Mariah, is the daughter of Keyser businesswoman Marlee Fitzgerald, owner of Life Images Photography Studio.
The Harley is currently being displayed in the window of Life Images Photography Studio at 60 N. Main Street, Keyser.
The custom paint job on the Harley was also done here in Keyser by Jason’s Custom Paint and Collision, on Carroll Avenue in Keyser.
In addition to running the USA Cheerleaders office, Martin also does work with Cedar Fair Theme Parks, in which he hosts their annual cheerleading competitions at the Kings Dominion and Worlds of Fun theme park in Kansas City, Mo., both of which he will run from his office here in Keyser.
There is also talk of starting a Junior USA Cheerleaders program, where children will start to learn about community service and giving back to those who serve our country. He is looking into the prospect of starting an All-Star Cheerleading Gym, which will be the national training facility for the USA Cheerleaders and also home to the All-Star program for children from youth to college level.
Martin has worked with some of the nation’s best All-Star Cheerleading programs: the All-Star Rebels out of Melbourne, Fla., who have won many numerous national championships, and the Maryland Twisters based in Glen Burnie, Md.
