Not Your Usual Fund-Raiser
In what is perhaps one of the most unusual fund-raising efforts among the many that occur during the summer season here, Peter Honerkamp, an owner of the Stephen Talkhouse club in Amagansett, and his friend Dan Tooker have embarked on a “Hampton Bar Crawl” across East Hampton Town.
They have promised to have one drink in every bar here, and for each one he has, Mr. Honerkamp will donate $10 toward the cost of “Welcome to Soldier Ride,” a documentary about the Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride program, which grew from an idea hatched at the Talkhouse.
After a 2003 fund-raiser there for a Rocky Point soldier who was injured in Iraq, Chris Carney, who was a Talkhouse bartender, embarked on a cross-country bicycle trip the next year to raise money and awareness for wounded soldiers. His 4,400-mile trip began in Montauk and ended when he dipped his bicycle tire in the Pacific Ocean. He was accompanied by another Talkhouse employee, Tek Vakalaloma, who drove a slow-moving support vehicle the entire way. The trip raised more than $1 million.
The next year Mr. Carney reversed the journey, riding from west to east, and was joined by two soldiers, Ryan Kelly, a single amputee, and Heath Calhoun, a double amputee. The idea of Soldier Ride as not only a fund-raising vehicle but a form of mental and physical rehabilitation for veterans injured during their service took shape.
Under the Wounded Warrior Project, Soldier Ride now offers 20 bike ride programs across the United States. More have taken place overseas, in England, Germany, and Israel. The events raise more than $200 million a year; more than 45,000 soldiers have participated.
The film centers on the 2005 cross-country trip. It was created by Nick Kraus, a Soldier Ride co-founder, and Matt Hindra, both of East Hampton.
Mr. Honerkamp and Mr. Tooker are documenting their fund-raising effort on a Facebook page of that name. The quest began on Aug. 15 at Inlet Seafood in Montauk. With a 15-minute stop to down one drink at each watering hole, the team went on that day to the Fish Bar, Rick’s Crabby Cowboy Cafe, the Crow’s Nest, and the Star Island Grill.
The mission continued the next day at Cyril’s, with the drinkers again heading east. As of earlier this week, they were still working their way through the many bars in Montauk, and had hoisted an elbow in 36 of the 42, Mr. Honerkamp said.
Daily and ongoing itineraries are posted on the Facebook page, so that those who would like to raise a glass with the fund-raisers may find and join them. They have pledged never to leave a bar before the stated time. The quest continues each Monday and Tuesday.
Soldier Ride “just changed and empowered a lot of people,” Mr. Honerkamp said. “It revolutionized how we treat the wounded.”
Twenty-two veterans reportedly commit suicide each day in this country, he said, and several Soldier Ride participants have told him they had been contemplating taking such a step before their participation in the ride, which profoundly affected them.
Members of the Talkhouse staff will join Mr. Honerkamp as he works his way through the bars in East Hampton Village, between 5 and 7 p.m. on Labor Day. Friends and supporters have been invited to join them.
Additional information, and an opportunity to make a tax-deductible donation, can be found at welcometosoldierride.com.