A group of charitable motorcyclists honored a fallen Gilmer County soldier and scholar athlete by raising money for a foundation centered around his personal motto, “I do what I can.”
For the first Roughnecks Noah Harris Fallen Hero of Georgia Motorcycle Ride held Saturday, Oct. 22, riders from the North Georgia Roughnecks teamed with some of Ellijay’s American Legion Riders to ride in memory of Harris, who was killed in 2005 while serving his country in Iraq.
The inaugural motorcycle run raised almost $2,500 for the Noah Harris Foundation, a charity maintained by Noah’s parents, Rick and Lucy Harris.
A Fallen Heroes of Georgia (FHOG) 5K in Gwinnett County and past FHOG motorcycle rides had previously benefited the foundation.
“We didn’t really know the people (who started the 5K), but they adopted the Noah fund as one of the recipients of their charity. The way it was set up before, all the proceeds went to the Fallen Heroes of Georgia, and they dispersed it to eight or nine soldiers’ families, all of whom have foundations,” said Lucy, a retired Gilmer County teacher. “We’re really excited about this one being the Noah Harris Fallen Hero of Georgia Run. We think it’s wonderful that they’re (recognizing) not only his memory, but his philosophy.”
The Roughnecks are a motorcycle group comprised of active-duty and retired law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS, military and civilians, noted Shane Bowman, East Ellijay’s assistant police chief and president of the Roughnecks’ north Georgia chapter.
Members of that chapter have ridden in the Fallen Heroes of Georgia motorcycle run the past seven years, but last year was the final ride under the statewide banner, Bowman noted. The North Georgia Roughnecks then got permission to continue the fallen hero run as a fundraiser for the Noah Harris Foundation.
“They started out with the 5K at Lake Lanier, and it just exploded. While we were down there one year, one of our members asked (FHOG founder) Steve Durling, ‘What if we do a motorcycle ride to help draw some money for y’all?’” Bowman said. “This is the eighth year we’ve done this ride, but the first year we’ve named it for Noah. We like doing it, and we wanted to donate the money to the Noah Harris Foundation.”
The ride will happen every year, Bowman confirmed. “We’ll probably start planning the one for 2023 around January,” he said.
The Roughnecks have 43 chapters nationwide, including three in Georgia. The local chapter and Ellijay’s Legion Riders often share the same goal of raising money for local causes, Bowman confirmed.
“Anytime someone needs a benefit ride and comes to us, we do it. We always support the Legion, and they support us. We always get together (for benefit rides),” he added.
The Noah Harris Foundation awards multiple scholarships to graduating Gilmer High School seniors, including the IDWIC (I Do What I Can) Scholarship for athletes with high academic achievements, Lucy noted.
“Noah was a scholar athlete for the state of Georgia his senior year, which was 1999. That’s kind of what the IDWIC Scholarships are. It has to be students with top grades and at least two sports,” Rick added. “We also award top wrestler and top cheerleader scholarships, which are coach’s choice.”
“Everything we do is for Gilmer, except every now and then, one of Noah’s men (fellow soldiers) will contact us with something they may need help with. We try to help them if we can,” said Lucy. “Noah was a platoon leader and had about 50 people he was responsible for. We’re mom and pop, pretty much, to a bunch of them.”
Fred McGill, chaplain for Ellijay’s Post 82 Legion Riders, said a total of 40 bikes were involved in the recent benefit ride through the mountains, which was a good number for the first time out.
The 52-mile route went from East Ellijay near the intersection of Maddox Drive and Highway 515, down to Talking Rock, on to Highways 136, 411 and 282, then back to Post 82 on Legion Road.
“I’ve ridden with the Roughnecks numerous times, and their rides are always well coordinated. They’re great to ride with,” said McGill.
Behind his bike, McGill towed a veterans memorial trailer he built, which includes a white cross bearing the name of U.S. Army Lt. Noah Harris.
“After two deployments in Vietnam, I felt I should do more for our country and our veterans. That’s why I built a memorial trailer to pull in services and parades,” McGill said. “I was honored to pull it in this ride for the Noah Harris Foundation.”
Rick said he and Lucy started the foundation 17 years ago after flowers started appearing on their doorstep. They began asking for donations in lieu of flowers, figuring if people wanted to honor and remember their son, it could be through something that helps the community in which he was raised.
They also published a book about Noah’s life and legacy, “Simply American: A Gentle Warrior and His People,” which Rick said helped the foundation get its legs. The book is available to read online at IDWIC.com.
The Noah Harris Foundation fund is based at Bank OZK, Rick said.
“It’s 100 percent charity. We help people whose houses have burned, who’ve had medical emergencies, all kinds of things. We’re still rolling along by the grace of God,” he added.