Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation's 8th Annual Ride For Independence Motorcycle Event Sunday, July 22, 2018

BLOOMFIELD, Conn., July 18, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Bloomfield, Conn. - This motorcycle fundraiser celebrates the boundless freedom and independence Fidelco German Shepherd guide dogs provide to men and women who are blind. Funds raised from the Ride support Fidelco's guide dog program for military veterans and first responders.

The 2018 Ride Grand Marshals are Fidelco client ? and Connecticut's own ? SPC US Army (Ret.) Donald Overton and his Fidelco Guide Dog "Pierce"; Bear's Smokehouse BBQ owner and Navy Veteran Jamie "Bear" McDonald; two-time baseball All-Star and World Series pitcher, Rob Dibble: and iHeart Media CT's Renee DiNino. Donald Overton served with the 82nd Airborne Division and was blinded during combat operations in Iraq. "The Ride for Independence affords us the opportunity to take a step back and cherish our lives ? and the country we live in ? while appreciating the sacrifice others have made to give us independence. Thanks to Fidelco, Pierce and I experience true teamwork ? working independently toward one goal ? in unison," Donald stated.

The event begins at Fidelco Guide Dogs' Bloomfield campus with registration opening at 9:30am. Riders cruise a scenic, police-escorted 50-mile route through the Farmington Valley and return to Fidelco for a gourmet barbeque lunch by Bear's Smokehouse BBQ and a live concert by Witch Doctors. Fidelco's Ride for Independence is a family-friendly event. No bike, no problem. Non-riders welcome the riders and enjoy lunch and music, great shopping, and Fidelco dogs. Fidelco's Field of Flags ? a tribute to American heroes and fallen military, first responders, and veterans ? is on display for all to admire and contemplate the heroes in their lives.

We are incredibly grateful to all our Ride sponsors; Aetna, Eversource, Gengras Harley-Davidson, Trantolo & Trantolo, Hartford Distributors, Hartford Steam Boiler, Aegis Information Systems, Consulting Ophthalmologists, Windsor Federal Savings, American Legion Post 174, Foxboro VFW Post 2626 and the Woof Pack.

About Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation
Fidelco is an internationally accredited guide dog organization and respected expert throughout the world. For over five decades, Fidelco has bred the German Shepherd working dog. Since 1981, Fidelco has trained and placed more than 1,500 German Shepherd guide dogs across North America.

Each Fidelco German Shepherd guide dog takes two years, 15,000 hours, and $45,000 to breed, train, and place.

Thanks solely to the compassionate generosity of its donors, and the dedicated work of its staff and volunteers, all Fidelco guide dogs are given to clients at no cost. Fidelco pioneered In-Community Placement in the United States and trains all clients in the communities where they live and work. Fidelco provides 24/7 client support for the entire working life of its guide dogs ? typically 10 years.

Fidelco has also placed hundreds of its German Shepherd Dogs with law enforcement agencies, first responders, search and rescue, and missing child recovery organizations to help protect our fellow citizens and keep our communities safe.

Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with offices in Bloomfield and Wilton, CT. For more information, or to apply for a guide dog, please visit http://www.fidelco.org.

SOURCE Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation Inc.