Non-profit Angel Ride raises
more than $42K for Jacob Dake
The 13th annual Angel Ride raised $42,077.65 for Jacob Dake on Saturday at the Jackson County Agricultural Center in Jefferson.
“I’m really grateful that they’re able to help me,” Dake said after the ride, a non-profit fundraiser that selects one person facing hardship as the recipient every year.
The Oglethorpe County High School graduate was in a motorcycle accident last September, and he underwent 15 surgeries, including the amputation of his right arm. The funds will help support Dake and his family as he pursues a career as an auto mechanic.
Dake, who drove the 50-mile escorted route through rural Jackson County with his girlfriend Emilee Griffiths, said he was surprised when he was selected as this year’s recipient.
“He was happy,” said Rhonda Pilgrim, Dake’s mother. “He didn't think he was going to be chosen because there's so many people who were needing help. You know, it was a blessing.”
Roughly 175 riders and passengers participated in the ride, and more people attended the event as spectators.
“What I love about this event is that so many people everywhere are so willing to help other people,” event crew member Elizabeth Harris said. “The big goal for today, and for any day, is just to make things a little easier for him to not have to worry,”
The rest of the afternoon included lunch and a variety of fundraising activities, such as ticket raffles, a silent auction, door prizes, a gun raffle and live music by Levi Lowrey.
Bailey Armistead, an event crew member, said Dake was a great candidate for the ride.
“He's got a great outlook on life — he's young, he has a lot of goals, and he very much so fits,” Armistead said.
Dake and his friends, who own custom cars they enjoy working on, said they were thrilled to participate.
“I love cars,” said Dake, who drove his 2001 Mazda Miata that he has been working on since last December.
This was the Angel Ride’s first year at this venue, having previously taken place in Hoschton.
“It has grown so much,” Harris said. “We started with 15 or 20 bikes in 2011, in a tiny little backyard.”
Today, the event has not only provided financial support, but also community support to the recipients.
Shelby Smith, attendee and 2016 Angel Ride recipient, was so moved she does her best to attend every year. She was chosen for the event after being in a pedestrian accident, leaving her in a coma for weeks.
“Everybody here is just so unbelievably sweet and caring,” Smith said. “They go completely out of their way all year long to help you, and to know that this many people were in my corner helping me with my fight was just the best feeling ever.”
The Angel Ride has cultivated over 1,800 members on Facebook since 2012, and it continues to grow.
“We just want to make that a little easier for him and for his family,” Harris said. “So that's hopefully just enough to get him to where he doesn't have to worry about all of the big stressors and just continue to live his life the way he wants to live it.”