Meet The New Rider Tom Neeley # 974

 I am an avid outdoors man and boater. When I am not riding I enjoy spending time with my friends in the mud on my RZR or driving my monster truck. I have heard a lot about the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge over the years and have much respect for those who have ridden it in the past. I love to challenge myself mentally and physically and want to put my riding experience to the test. I expect to face both mental and physical challenges. My goal is to finish with a respectable time knowing I completed the challenge with integrity and honor.
 
Being a disabled Vet I have to get my body ready for the challenge but I know it's not a race, but a spiritual experience. Cherish every minute in the good times and the bad. A friend told me about the HHMC and it intrigued me to find out more. I went to the start at Medicine Park in 2018 and become friends with several riders. I enjoyed my time in Medicine Park prior to their departure and was glued to the tracker web page for the entire challenge.  I made it a point to go back to see my friends finish. I have challenged myself most my life and I am always looking for new ways to do so. I also like to do things that others can’t and won’t try.
 I am a third generation Veteran and looked at several Veteran charities before deciding on Fisher House Foundation. Fisher House Foundation builds comfort homes where military & veterans families can stay free of charge, while a loved one is in the hospital. I chose them because only 8% of their expenditures are used for administrative purposes, the rest of the funds are used for the benefit of the Veterans themselves.  I found the overhead expense for other Veteran charities to be much higher, at 65% to 75 .