Ride For The Wet Nose

Matthew Gross is once again looking for donations for his long bicycle ride that raises money for the Bangor Humane Society and the Animal Orphanage in Old Town.

Matt's a pretty special kid. His desire to help the animal shelters came out of his love for an older dog named Buddy that his family adopted a few years ago. He can explain his reasons better than I can, so check out the video I took of Matt last year as he was preparing to head out on his ride. The Gross family stopped by the radio station this week and told me about this year's ride, and about Buddy, who's now 16 years old and still going strong! (Buddy's in the video too!)

Matt's extra-special to all of us here because his grandfather, Gene Hardin aka JJ West, was a Townsquare Media on-air personality for many years. Anytime JJ talked about his family, his usually very quiet personality would light up. He told me, a few years ago, about how the ride was "all Matty's" idea and that he was determined to make it a success. So far, he's raised over $8,000 for homeless animals, so I'd say he's done it. But he's not done yet!

Each year, Matt and his Dad, Jason, make a long bicycle ride as a way to raise money for these two animal shelters. I thought last year's ride was ambitious at 35 miles, but this year, they're riding 50 miles! Yup, you read that right, FIFTY miles! Matt and Jason will start their ride in Brewer, travel to Greenbush, and then back to Brewer. I'm tired just thinking about it!

The Ride for the Wet Nose, as Matt calls his charity trek, will be held on August 19th, and he's hoping to make their 5th year the best ever. But he needs your help! Donations can be made at Aubuchon Hardware, Maine Savings Federal Credit Union, and Pat's Bike Shop in Brewer. For more information or for information on how you can send your donation to Matt, log on the Facebook page for the Ride For The Wet Nose.

Good luck, Matt! (and Jason!)