Don “Gunny” Weddle is a former Marine, a Shoultes parent and the national treasurer of the Unchained Brotherhood, a clean-and-sober group of motorcycle riders who offer support for those recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. They also conduct charity campaigns such as food drives at Thanksgiving and toy drives at Christmas for Seeds of Grace, the food bank run by the Allen Creek Community Church in Marysville.

Last year, 14 members of the Unchained Brotherhood raised $440 for Shoultes, and while Weddle has no set goal this year, he hopes to beat that total.

“I’ve volunteered at this school for the past five years, but it occurred to me that I couldn’t recall there ever being a fundraiser like this for them before,” Weddle said. “When we approached the school staff, they were receptive to the idea. As with last year’s donations, every penny will go to the school, which is free to use these funds as they see fit.”

The cost is $20 per person, but the roughly 120-mile ride will afford additional opportunities for participants to contribute funds to the school.

“It’s open to anyone, not just bikers,” Weddle said. “If you drive a car or a truck, you can follow along behind us.”

The group will gather at Shoultes, at 13525 51st Ave. NE in Marysville, starting at 10 a.m. and will depart at 11 a.m., after safety checks of all motorcycles.

“We’ll be checking down to the level of tread on the tires,” Weddle said. “We’ll also be riding single-file, to make it safer for more inexperienced riders.”