Founding Board

Kevin and Audra, Craig and Michelle. Two brothers and their wives. Two ride and two don’t. All four solid Wisconsinites. Parents to a collective mass of five amazing people. One lawyer, one nurse, one government employee, one communications consultant. Not one of us served, but all are grateful to those who have protected our freedoms, and continue to do so, on our behalf. So how did we get here? Thanks Kevin!

Looking to combine two long time passions of Veteran support and motorcycle riding, Kevin had been looking for a way to make a large, impactful difference in a small number of lives rather than a slight difference across many. In the fall of 2014, he read an article on the therapeutic benefits of motorcycle ownership amongst Veterans with PTSD, particularly when faced with different challenges upon returning to civilian life, and the healing connection made immediate sense. After realizing nobody else in the nation offered this alternative therapy, Hogs For Heroes came to life with a small family vision and our nonprofit designation in 2014.

Knowing our limited volunteer work would be done on the side of jobs and family life, we focused on our Wisconsin Veterans and set a goal of gifting one Harley a year to change one life a year. We raised our first dollar in the Spring of 2015 and, right on plan, gifted our first Harley on May 4, 2016. We consider that very first gifting to be “our birthday”; and every year since, with amazing Supporters at our side, our grassroots effort has grown to positively impact more Veterans, as well as those who support them, than we ever imagined.

In advance of Wisconsin’s riding season, and once we have raised enough funds to determine how many Harleys we can purchase, we will open our application process. Only during that time can Wisconsin Veterans meeting our application criteria either apply themselves or be “nominated” with the involvement of another. Applicants must first meet the following criteria for application consideration by our Advisory Board:

• Have established Wisconsin residency;
• Have served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. Armed Forces, for 90 days or more;
• Have been honorably discharged, and fully separated, from the U.S. Armed Forces and are not under any current military obligation;
• Have a service-connected injury/disability from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (or private medical documentation reflecting such);
• Have a current, valid WI driver’s license with motorcycle endorsement and an established history of motorcycle ownership/passion/riding experience; and
• Demonstrate established hardships/challenges (e.g. financial, employment, dependents, etc.) that prevent one from buying and owning their own motorcycle.

Each time we are ready to accept applications, the below links will be activated for access and printing of the required components. We will share the news and specific time frames. Our Advisory Board will then meet, review qualified applications and determine our next Recipient.