New Hampshire
Traci Beaurivage - NHMRO President - MRF State Rep
With the election now over, we as an organization will be focused on moving forward and gearing up for what might be coming down the pike that will affect motorcyclists.
We are certain there will be a mandatory seatbelt law being introduced and that almost certainly guarantees a helmet law. NHMRO is of the belief that YOU should decide if YOU want to wear a helmet or not. We feel that we should have the freedom of choice on these types of decisions. The statistics are skewered and what you hear about the accidents doesn’t give you the real picture of what the person actually died from, it just scares you by using the verbiage “ the person was not wearing a helmet.” Looking ahead we most likely we need all of the support once again at the State house if we are going to keep our freedoms. We will keep you posted.
I want to thank the Board and Officers of NHMRO for all of their hard work on getting all of our members the packet of information on the elections. What a great group of people they are!
Our membership renewals are coming up in January and you can renew online, in person at a meeting or by mail. Thank you to all of our current members for their continued support!
The Board would also like to thank the awesome sponsors we have and the 100 percent clubs.
Please get involved even if just a little and help NHMRO continue to educate and fight for our freedoms!
Don’t forget to ask Santa for those awesome motorcycle gifts we all love!!
Best,
Traci
Toy Run renamed in memory of longtime leader
NHMRO Joanne Packard Memorial Toy Run
The New Hampshire Motorcyclists Rights Organization is naming its annual Toy Run in memory of a Londonderry woman who helped start the event and ran it for decades.
Joanne Packard died in September, one week after hundreds of motorcyclists rode from Concord to Manchester loaded with toys to donate to the New Hampshire Union Leader Santa Fund for The Salvation Army for the 36th straight year.
Fittingly, the New Hampshire Motorcyclists Rights Organization (NHMRO) board of directors voted to attach Packard’s name to the cause she loved so dearly.
“We just felt it was the right thing to do because she was so instrumental in starting it and making it what it has become,” said Traci Beaurivage, NHMRO president.
So next fall when hundreds of bikers gather in Concord for the annual drive to Manchester, they’ll be taking part in the Joanne Packard Memorial Toy Run. “It’s still our (NHMRO) toy run, but we want it named after Joanne.”
The move had wide support from anyone who knew Packard, whose husband, Sherm, was a founding member of NHMRO. He was touched to learn of the gesture.
“She was just that type of a person. She wanted to help other people and make sure that no kid went without toys at Christmas,” Sherm Packard said Monday of his late wife.
Packard, who has served 14 terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, said the toy run was one of many causes his wife of 52 years held dearly. She also served on the board of directors for a local soup kitchen for nine years and contributed whenever or whatever she could to many other causes.
“She was just an absolutely amazing person when it came to trying to do everything she could to help those that were a little less fortunate than we were,” Packard said. “It wasn’t just kids. Obviously she loved kids and wanted to do everything she could to make sure kids were happy, but she just wanted to help people.”
Although he gets the credit, Packard said Joanne was also instrumental in establishing NHMRO; she got the idea for the toy run after hearing of similar events in other states.
“It started a little bit small, but then it blossomed into a major event every year in the state of New Hampshire,” Packard said.
In years when the weather has cooperated, Packard said as many as 1,000 bikers would take part in the toy run, each of them toting stuffed animals, board games or other gifts for kids that would be given to the Salvation Army when the ride ended in the Union Leader parking lot.
“I know it’s been a major help to the Salvation Army and their toy drive,” Packard said. “We’ve collected a lot of toys over the years for needy kids in the state of New Hampshire.”
Each year, the Salvation Army would load a trailer with a stash of toys to be distributed through the Santa Fund closer to Christmas.
Organizing the ride could be time-consuming and challenging, but Packard said his wife always felt it was worthwhile when wave after wave of bikes entered the parking lot and the riders lined up with arms full of toys.
“She had been involved with it from the whole time it was in existence and she had literally run it for over 20 years,” he said. “Every time it was over, she was just so happy that so many people showed up and so many people donated toys to help the kids.”
Beaurivage said NHRMO is also donating about $4,000 in cash raised at this year’s toy run to the Salvation Army in memory of Joanne Packard.
Packard, who died Sept. 16 at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass., started turning over the toy run organization duties a few years ago.
Betty Rock, her successor, said Joanne was a tremendous help and mentor whose name deserves to be part of the toy run.
“She would be thrilled. A wonderful woman — absolutely wonderful woman. Can’t say anything bad about her. She was fantastic to work with,” Rock said.
"Reprint Manchester Union Leader"
You Must Be a Criminal if You Ride a Motorcycle...
Tell Congress This IS NOT TRUE & End Motorcycle Profiling
We're Bikers, Not Criminals.
However, Hollywood and the media has made these two words synonymous. If you own a Harley, wear a patch and ride in a group, it is the equivalent of putting a target on your back.
We can help put a stop to this by making this issue a national discussion.
Do Your Part - Tell Your Elected Officials to Support Anti-Profiling Legislation. Recent activity has opened the door to a possibility for an up or down vote by the end of the year. But it won't happen without your help.
Click on the link below to be taken to a secure site with a predrafted letter awaiting your signature telling your officials to allow a vote. It takes 2 minutes. It makes a difference.
About Us
About Our Organization
The New Hampshire Motorcyclist Rights Organization (NHMRO) was founded in 1975 to fight the freedoms that were being systematically taken away.
NHMRO was incorporated as a non-profit organization, under the laws of the state of New Hampshire, and the internal revenue tax codes. Our sole purpose is to protect the rights of ALL motorcyclists to choose how they ride and to maintain and peserve their freedoms as riders.
NHMRO welcomes ANY and ALL motorcyclists to be part of our organization, so that we may all protect our rights and freedoms, regardless of motorcycle preference, lifestyle or when and how we ride. We encourage all motorcyclists to register and actively participate in helping to elect candidates that are supportive of our beliefs.
NHMRO supports the VOLUNTARY use of helmets, not mandatory laws.
Support Your Organizaton
WHY BECOME A SPONSOR
WHEN YOU BECOME A SPONSOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION HELPS PROVIDE THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO FIGHT LEGISLATION AND PROTECT OUR "Right of Choice" and Freedoms. Your help funds our organization so that it may continue to "Educate" all motorcyclists.
Show Your Support by Supporting these Sponsors.
Motorcycle Profiling Project
What is the Motorcycle Profiling Project?
The Motorcycle Profiling Project (MPP) is dedicated to the grassroots effort to pass laws addressing profiling and discrimination. The MPP is not intended to replace other organizations. Rather, the project is intended to coordinate and unify the different elements and organizations in each state towards this common goal, including the Confederations and Coalitions of Clubs, US Defenders, C.O.I.R., ABATE, MMA, NCOM, MRF, AMA and the many smaller MRO’s that exist around the country.
What do the Motorcycle Profiling Project’s services cost? The Motorcycle Profiling Project offers all of its services to the motorcycling community FREE of charge. If an individual or organization sees value in the project then contributions are highly appreciated. The project relies on these contributions as the sole means of covering expenses and compensation for work performed. The more support the project receives, the more support the project can provide the motorcycling community.As the movement to pass profiling laws accelerates, so has the time demands and workload. A project of this magnitude entails office expenses, travel, and time. So if you think the project is valuable, organize a benefit and make a contribution.Contributions go directly to the The Motorcycle Profiling Project. Contributions are NOT Tax deductible. Online contributions can be made at motorcycleprofilingproject.com or The Motorcycle Profiling Project on Facebook. Contract based consulting is also available if a particular state or community prefers a traditional and structured agreement.
Who created the Motorcycle Profiling Project?
David “Double D” Devereaux, a motorcycle rights activist from Washington State, and a leading advocate for laws addressing the issue of motorcycle profiling in America. Double D spearheaded the effort in Washington as spokesperson for the movement. Double D represents the Washington State COC and US Defenders, NCOM Legislative Task Force, US Defenders National Office, BOLT, and he is a member or supporter of ABATE, the MRF, and the AMA. Also offering assistance to the project are Jeff “Twitch” Burns (activist, public records, media expert and documentary filmmaker), Bill “Colt” Kaitz (activist that leads the Maryland US Defenders), Donnie “Mr. Breeze” Landsman (activist, independent advocate and legislative expert), along with many others.This unified effort resulted in the first law addressing motorcycle profiling in America. Importantly, Washington’s law passed through the legislature unanimously and the same legislation is receiving support in many other states. The Maryland COC/US Defenders and ABATE, working with the Project, unanimously passed profiling legislation through their Senate in 2015 and seems likely to pass the law through both chambers in 2016.
What services do the Motorcycle Profiling Project provide?
The Motorcycle Profiling Project is designed to help your state with every step involved in the process of passing a law addressing the issue of motorcycle profiling. Based on the experiences and best practices of the highly effective motorcycle rights movement in Washington State, the Project will assist in organizing and preparing your state to take effective grassroots action. The project provides organizational recommendations, policy support materials, and legislative strategy. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Organizational strategy.
- Coordinating COC’s and MRO’s in a unified effort.
- Step-by-step Action Plan outlining the entire process, beginning to end.
- Construct a state-specific Pattern of Evidence.
- Drafting a Policy Report/Written Testimony. This is the state’s official statement on legislation addressing the issue of motorcycle profiling.
- Drafting a Legislative Proposal and Legislative Packet
- Drafting a Request for Sponsorship
- Drafting CTA’s and correspondence to legislators.
- Drafting testimony and providing testimony upon request, schedule permitting.
- Media support and press releases.
NHMRO SUPPORTS
